Nipun Kapur has worked through more than 20 sunscreens, and she brings a practical eye to every one. Her approval rate sits at 64%, so she liked roughly two in three. She named no single category winner here, but her takes point clearly toward what she thinks is worth your money.
What does Nipun Kapur recommend in sunscreen?
Nipun keeps coming back to Korean and Japanese formulas. She called Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA++++ her most favourite sunscreen outright, praising the glow it gives and how well it works as a primer under makeup. She rated Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50 her top pick for oily skin, noting it pulls off the rare trick of mattifying and adding glow at once. Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ (Korean formula) impressed her for how easily it blends, and she loved Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV Sunscreen SPF50 Clear so much she finished the whole tube. She also praised Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50 for shifting her view on mineral sunscreens entirely, and pointed anyone with dry, sensitive skin toward La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer SPF 30.
In her words
"The Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen is amazing. It does mattifying and glow which are actually opposite, but somehow it does both. If you've got oily skin this is my recommendation in sunscreens. My husband's tested it out because he's got oily skin and I've been using it as well, loving it every single way."
"This is the Round Lab Birch Sunscreen. I started using it a few months ago, obviously it was so viral on TikTok I had to get it. It's very similar to Beauty of Joseon, but I feel it blends more easily than Beauty of Joseon. From a blendability perspective this was even more amazing. This is a product you don't need to, you'll be perfectly fine if you're using a toner or two types of serums. This is pretty lightweight and I loved it."
"This is still being held by my favorite sunscreen. It gives you UVA UVB four pluses, 50 plus SPF. But just the way it responds on my skin, the hyaluronic acid, the glow that it gives me, this actually works in a way that it's a fabulous primer also. And that is why it's on number one. Every day when I do my morning skincare routine, I wear a full face of makeup and this kind of works like the best primer that ever exists. This has to be my most favorite sunscreen."
"La Roche-Posay tolerant range is also fabulous, especially if you have dry sensitive skin."
"If you want something that gives you more coverage, the Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50 is something I absolutely love. In fact, it is one sunscreen that has changed my whole opinion on mineral sunscreens."
"This is like 50, 40 grams so it's a little less that you get in terms of product, mostly you get 50 ml 50 grams of sunscreen this is 40. So you're getting less product but I loved it so much I completely finished it off and this is something I highly highly recommend from the Japanese skin care. This is 10 on 10."
How many sunscreens has Nipun Kapur reviewed?
Nipun Kapur has reviewed 28 sunscreens, for an approval rate of 64%. 18 approved, 3 mixed, and 7 skipped.
What has Nipun Kapur skipped in sunscreen?
Nipun skipped La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 with some force, calling it a terrible sunscreen despite being viral and saying it simply does not work for everyone. She gave Krave Beauty Beat the Sun SPF 40 a miss because she wants at least SPF 50, so SPF 40 was not enough for her. She noted that Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 can feel greasy, putting it better in a PM routine than as a daily sunscreen, which for her ruled it out for daytime use. On Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen Spray, she said the formula works well for reapplying on the body, placing it outside what she would reach for on her face.
"If you find it greasy, use it in your PM routine."
"La Roche-Posay is a terrible sunscreen. I know it's viral, but it doesn't work with everyone. Please stop using it."
"SPF 40 is an actual category and that's how I know that this award, this whole award system is totally rigged. Otherwise mineral, end of story. But no, best chemical SPF 40 is this one. Would I purchase it? No. SPF 50 minimum you need it."
"Neutrogena and largely have all spray out and oil based formula which is great if you are reapplying it on your body."
What should you take from Nipun Kapur's picks?
Nipun's record on sunscreens shows a clear lean toward lightweight Korean and Japanese formulas that do more than one job. She is direct about the products she skipped and why, so her takes are useful whether you are building a new routine or rethinking one that is not quite working.
Watch Nipun Kapur say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40Skipped itWatch at 44:04
- La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60Skipped itWatch at 17:20
- Krave Beauty Beat the Sun SPF 40Skipped itWatch at 6:55
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen SpraySkipped itWatch at 8:25
- Fenty Beauty Skin Hydra Vizor SPF 30 Invisible SunscreenSkipped itWatch at 8:57
- Hyphen All I Need Sunscreen SPF 50 PA4+Skipped itWatch at 14:18
- ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40Skipped itWatch at 4:13
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 9:17
- Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ (Korean formula)Rated itWatch at 4:56
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA++++Rated itWatch at 8:43
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer SPF 30Rated itWatch at 2:52
- Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50Rated itWatch at 15:58
- Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV Sunscreen SPF50 ClearRated itWatch at 9:43
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SunscreenRated itWatch at 6:35
- The Ordinary Mineral UV Filters SPF 30Rated itWatch at 9:35
- Heliocare Oral Sunscreen Capsules (Polypodium Leucotomos Supplement)Rated itWatch at 11:22
- COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++Rated itWatch at 12:46
- d'Alba Piedmont Waterfall UV Essence SPF 50Rated itWatch at 7:13
- Colorescience Unforgettable Total Protection Face Shield SPF 50Rated itWatch at 12:34
- Minimalist Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 9:12
- Garnier Super UV SunscreenRated itWatch at 6:04
- Skin1004 Centella Hyalu Cica Watery Toner SunscreenRated itWatch at 11:38
- Wishcare Sunscreen Body Lotion SPF 50Rated itWatch at 10:30
- Supergoop Sunscreen Mist SPF 30Rated itWatch at 3:36
About this expert
See everything Nipun Kapur has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Nipun Kapur said across her videos about 28 products in sunscreen, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.