AliceintheRabbitHole, also known as Alice Specht, has tested 35 sunscreens and holds a Guru Score of 60% for the category. She approved 21, gave 10 mixed takes, and skipped 4. Seven she named outright winners, including Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++ and Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick. Her record is well worth reading, especially if you wear makeup over your SPF.
What does AliceintheRabbitHole recommend in sunscreen?
She keeps coming back to the same things: a sunscreen has to apply fast, sit smoothly under makeup, and not tug or pill. She has dry skin and wears makeup every day, so she weighs finish and how easily a product glides on just as heavily as the SPF number. Products she praised, like Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen and Numbuzin No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence SPF 50, won her over partly because they work like primers and vanish into the skin without a trace. She also noted that niacinamide causes her problems, so she flagged niacinamide-free options like Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Aqua Fresh SPF 50 as a real bonus for anyone in the same situation. Packaging matters to her too. She called out Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick for its shape, saying it was ideal for reaching around the eye and nose area.
In her words
"This is still my favorite stick sunscreen, it's been my favorite for well over a year. As somebody who already has dry skin, if I'm wearing makeup, the last thing I want is a sunscreen stick that tugs on my skin, and too many of them tug. This one has excellent glidey properties, and the shape of it is perfect for getting all around my eye area and my nose area, an ideal shape for me personally, combined with the ability to glide well and to not be too over the top in shine. All of that makes this a long running favorite for me."
"I'm going with my Purito sunscreen, I think this is still my favorite. I think it's because I do wear makeup, and like I say all the time, it's just such a good priming sunscreen."
"This All Day Airy Sunscreen from Klairs, SPF 50 plus PA4 plus, is absolutely gorgeous."
"I have a real life friend who swears by this Cicapair Tiger Grass color correcting treatment, so I was curious to try it. It's thicker than I thought it would be, I expected it to be more thin like a moisturizer, but it still works as a moisturizer too. Oh my gosh, I cannot believe how good this looks."
"This is the new Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh sunscreen SPF50 plus PA4 plus, and Beauty of Joseon is back on my favorites list. This is a niacinamide-free K-beauty sunscreen, which is great news if you're someone niacinamide doesn't work for, because it still has an incredible formula without that ingredient that seems to give me problems. Even when my moisture barrier isn't feeling great, this doesn't irritate my skin, and it is so fast, it is so cosmetically elegant to apply. The only catch, and the reason I've knocked it down to number two, is that I've seen a lot of people talk about pilling with this one. I haven't experienced that problem myself, other than when I've disrupted the film by scratching at my skin, and I've been able to wear it under a lot of makeup."
"This just vanishes into your skin, it is truly a sunscreen that does not feel like sunscreen. It is alcohol free, fragrance free, has the perfect packaging, and does not have a white cast as you're applying it, it just sinks in and disappears. It's SPF 50 plus PA4 plus and wears beautifully under makeup. The only potential drawback is that it has a lot of plant based ingredients, and that doesn't work for everybody, some people need a more simple ingredients list."
How many sunscreens has AliceintheRabbitHole reviewed?
AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed 35 sunscreens, for a Guru Score of 60%. 21 approved, 10 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has AliceintheRabbitHole skipped in sunscreen?
Mineral sunscreens are where she pulls back most often. She said AXIS-Y Complete No Stress Physical Sunscreen takes about eight times longer to apply than a chemical one because you have to buff out the white cast. She found the same problem with Prequel Sun Barrier Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50, calling it heavy and uncomfortably shiny. Good Molecules Moisturizing Rich Sunscreen SPF 30 pilled badly and actually stung her skin. She linked that to booster ingredients similar to octocrylene, which her skin does not get on with. She does note zinc oxide may help acne-prone skin, so she is not ruling mineral formulas out entirely. The real trade-off, she says, is the longer application time.
"This is the Good Molecules Moisturizing Rich Sunscreen SPF 30, with 11.2% zinc oxide. Applying it did not go well, it pilled badly and my skin actually started stinging, and I'm not sure if that's from the booster ingredients, which are similar to octocrylene, an ingredient my skin typically doesn't do well with. It only has a three star rating on the Ulta website too. This sunscreen is definitely not for me, and this is why I don't love mineral sunscreens in general, they just take so long to apply."
"I just do not like this sunscreen. It's got 18% zinc oxide plus bioactive antioxidant compounds plus bisabolol, which sounds wonderful in theory, but it is so heavy feeling, so shiny, I almost feel like it's glittery. It's a mineral sunscreen so I can actually use it without reacting, but I just simply hate how it feels."
"Of all the sun sticks I've tried, the Beauty of Joseon has to be the absolute worst for gliding properties."
"My least favorite product from Axis-Y is the Complete No Stress Physical Sunscreen. It's a rare K-beauty mineral sunscreen, but every time I try to apply this or any mineral sunscreen it takes so much longer than a chemical sunscreen, about eight times longer, because you have to buff it in to get rid of the white cast, and I'm very fair so it will still leave a white cast on some people. I do still use these mineral sunscreens sometimes because there's research that zinc oxide may be beneficial if you deal with acne, so it's kind of an acne treatment and sunscreen all in one, but at the cost of a very slow application. This is version three and it's actually the best version yet of the mineral sunscreen, you're just going to have a hard time working with mineral filters."
What should you take from AliceintheRabbitHole's picks?
If you wear makeup daily and want a sunscreen that primes and disappears, her record points strongly toward lightweight chemical SPFs, especially the Korean beauty ones she keeps returning to. Her seven named winners make a solid shortlist. For anyone thinking about a mineral formula, she is honest that the payoff can be worth it, particularly for acne-prone skin, but be ready for a longer application routine.
Watch AliceintheRabbitHole say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++Named a winnerWatch at 13:01
- Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++Named a winnerWatch at 7:04
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50 PA++++Named a winnerWatch at 4:24
- Purito Daily Soft Touch SunscreenNamed a winnerWatch at 6:44
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun StickNamed a winnerWatch at 9:41
- Peom Water Barrier Sun CreamNamed a winnerWatch at 14:36
- Murad SunscreenNamed a winnerWatch at 11:01
- Good Molecules Moisturizing Rich Sunscreen SPF 30Skipped itWatch at 27:26
- Prequel Sun Barrier Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50Skipped itWatch at 16:49
- Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun StickSkipped itWatch at 21:23
- AXIS-Y Complete No Stress Physical SunscreenSkipped itWatch at 1:47
- Klairs All Day Airy SunscreenRated itWatch at 17:38
- Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30Rated itWatch at 13:37
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++Rated itWatch at 14:26
- Numbuzin No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence SPF 50Rated itWatch at 5:27
- DRMTLGY Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46Rated itWatch at 4:51
- make p:rem UV Defense Me. Daily Sun EssenceRated itWatch at 5:56
- Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun CreamRated itWatch at 13:29
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 4:21
- IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream SPF 50+Rated itWatch at 19:19
- Live Tinted Skin Tint SPF 50Rated itWatch at 7:27
- Anua ZeroCast Moisturizing Finish SunscreenRated itWatch at 1:48
- Skin Aqua SunscreenRated itWatch at 10:33
- EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46Rated itWatch at 11:34
About this expert
See everything AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed
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This guide reflects what AliceintheRabbitHole said across their videos about 35 products in sunscreen, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.