One thing I always make sure to pack in my suitcase, no matter whether I am travelling somewhere hot or cold, is vegan sun cream. It is important that we protect our skin from UV rays, even on cooler days.
That being said, most sun cream that you find in your local pharmacy isn’t vegan-friendly. Which is why I personally always buy my sun cream online, from the brands I have mentioned in this guide!
All of the vegan sun creams that I tested and mentioned here are vegan, cruelty-free, and reef-safe. Some will help you to tan, whilst others will block out as much sun as possible so you can spend more time doing your favourite sports. Check out my gallery of images for each product to see how well they rub in to my skin.
My top picks
- Best tan accelerator: Green People | Skip to review
- Best tinted sun cream: Kri | Skip to review
- Best primer SPF: Ark Skincare | Skip to review
- Best for face: UpCircle | Skip to review
- Best for sports: Palm & Pine | Skip to review
- Best sunscreen spray: Sun Bum | Skip to review
Green People
- Type: Tan accelerator sun cream for whole body
- SPF: 15
- Price: £28 for 200ml
Green People offer a variety of sun cream products, which are all vegan-friendly. Including sun cream with insect repellant, facial sun cream, children’s sun cream, and a mineral sun cream. But my favourite product of theirs is the Edelweiss Sun Cream made with Carob fruit, which activates tanning. But unlike tanning oils, it won’t cook your skin under the heat of the sun.
It has the lowest SPF mentioned here, at 15, and is great for lower UV days. However, if you are going somewhere hot and you plan on spending time outside between 11am and 3pm, I would recommend using a higher SPF product during this time.
The 200ml tub is perfect for taking on a long holiday. The cream spreads well so I don’t need to use a huge amount each time I apply it. It also absorbs nicely into my skin and it hasn’t irritated my eczema at all. It also has a lovely natural subtle smell that doesn’t have that typical sun cream smell.
Kri
- Type: Mineral sun cream for face
- SPF: 30
- Price: £24 for 60ml
Kri is my favourite vegan skincare brand (find out why in my Kri Skincare review). I use their prickly pear seed oil every day on my face and afterwards, I like to apply their SPF30 Mineral Sunscreen. This has become part of my daily routine, no matter where I am in the world. I am using it as a preventative measure to future skin ageing and I believe it is working well!
You can buy it untinted or tinted, with two colour options: fair and warm. The tint isn’t a replacement for a BB cream or foundation, instead, it helps to reduce any white cast from the sun cream. So you can go about your day-to-day life without looking like you are wearing sun cream!
As with all Kri products, their vegan sun cream feels silky smooth and rubs in easily to my skin. It also has a really neutral natural smell. You only need a few drops on your face every morning and if you are spending a lot of time outside, I’d recommend reapplying a small amount at midday.
Ark
- Type: 5-in-1 primer SPF
- SPF: 30
- Price: £38 for 30ml
Most facial SPFs come as an additional cream that you need to apply as part of your daily routine, but this SPF from Ark is different. It is a multitasking primer SPF, meaning you use it for hydration, as your moisturiser, sunscreen, and as your makeup primer. It contains Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E, Shea Butter, and Jojoba.
I found it glides onto my skin and rubs in really easily. Plus it feels quite lightweight since I haven’t had to apply any other products to my skin. Only a small amount is needed to spread over your face as it has a nice smooth consistency. It also leaves zero white marks on my face!
It has a nice subtle perfumed scent which is a lot more pleasant than your usual sun creams. It also leaves my face feeling lovely and soft! It does cost more than many of the other SPFs here, but it will replace your moisturiser and primer.
UpCircle
- Type: Mineral sun cream for face
- SPF: 25
- Price: £27.99 for 60ml
Most sun cream leaves my face red and itchy. But this SPF 25 mineral sunscreen from UpCircle absorbs gently into my sensitive skin. As you may have guessed from the name, they upcycle ingredients to create their skincare products, making them an eco-friendly alternative! For their sun cream they upcycle raspberry seeds from the juicing industry which help to hydrate your skin.
With an SPF of 25 they have a mid range product that is suitable for most people. As with all sun cream, just make sure to reapply it every few hours for full coverage!
The cream itself is bright white but it leaves no white residue after it has been rubbed in. It also leaves the skin on my face feeling soft and there is no nasty sun cream smell following me around all day.
Palm & Pine
- Type: Wax-based sun cream for face
- SPF: 50
- Price: £21.49 for 50g
If you enjoy sports like surfing, skiing, or cycling, then you may find that most sun cream drips straight off you. That’s where wax-based sunscreens come in, like this SPF 50 balm from Palm & Pine. It sticks to my skin nicely and doesn’t run off at all, even when I break into a sweat.
The goal with sun creams like this is to apply enough that you can still see a visible layer on top. This ensures your skin stays protected for as long as you are doing your favourite sport. I tested out washing it off after applying and it does take quite a bit of washing, which shows how good it will hold up when you are sweating.
Despite it being a wax-based sunscreen, it spreads surprisingly easily on to my skin and can cover really large areas. It is designed for your face, but I like to apply it to my tattoos to protect them from the sun whenever I go out for the day.
Sun Bum
- Type: Spray on sun cream for whole body
- SPF: 30
- Price: £19.99 for 200ml
If you are a fan of sun cream sprays from the likes of Nivea then you will be happy to discover this vegan sun cream spray from Sun Bum. Because it is in a spray bottle it is really easy to apply all over your body. I find most sun cream to be a bit of a faff, but the ease of this spray ensures I keep topped up throughout the day.
They have the spray in SPF 30 and also SPF 50 for those looking for extra protection. But I find that if you keep topped up with the 30 then I avoid burning.
The 200ml bottle is also quite affordable and will last for a couple of weeks if you are on holiday. The cream itself sprays on evenly and is near enough colourless. It absorbs pretty quickly without much need for rubbing in, making it perfect for reaching those hard to get to areas. It has quite a traditional sun cream smell, which does have a certain nostaglic value.
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