Index / EltaMD / UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
EltaMD

UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46.

EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
Sunscreen

About this product

A broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen with SPF 46 containing zinc oxide, niacinamide, and antioxidants, available in tinted and non-tinted formulas designed for daily facial protection.

Sunscreen

The Guru Index verdict

80%

Approved

Approved · 80%
13Reviewers
13Approved
0Mixed
0Skip
#5 in Sunscreen

What the gurus are saying

Dermatologists and experts consistently praise this sunscreen for its elegant, lightweight formula that works across skin types, especially oily and acne-prone skin, without leaving white cast. The 5% niacinamide and antioxidants add skin-calming benefits, and the range of tinted shades makes it inclusive for those managing hyperpigmentation or rosacea. One expert notes the price sits higher than some alternatives, though the formula's versatility and the fact that many dermatology offices stock it speaks to how well-studied and formulated it is.
Synthesized from 13 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

NiacinamideHyaluronic acidAHAVitamin ESPFFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Zinc Oxide (9.0%), Octinoxate (7.5%), Purified Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Niacinamide, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/​Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Peg-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lactic Acid, Oleth-3 Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"Incorporate a tinted sunscreen like EltaMD UV Clear, which I love for being inclusive in terms of having available shades for various skin tones."
All 5 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
The Most Common Retinoid Mistakes I See in Clinic (Dermatologist Guide)
"wearing a sunscreen every day, SPF 30 and above, whether it's EltaMD UV Clear or Vanicream's Moisturizing SPF 30, those are all great options to do while on a retinoid"
The Only 5 Skincare Ingredient Categories You Actually Need
"You can find it in Ulta MD. You know, this is great for those with rosacea, the green tinted sunscreen."
Dermatologist Explains: Anti-Aging Skincare Routine By Age
"EltaMD UV Clear are really nice options that my patients love and those are nice things to consider all year round."
Morning vs Night Skincare: What Matters for Anti-Aging?
"If you are skin of color and you have hyperpigmentation, go for a tinted sunscreen with iron oxides. It could be EltaMD UV Clear or UV Daily. They're tinted options there."
If I Wanted Better Skin, This Is Exactly What I’d Do
"Incorporate a tinted sunscreen like EltaMD UV Clear, which I love for being inclusive in terms of having available shades for various skin tones."
Approved
"I love this sunscreen. It's their UV Clear SPF 46. It's from EltaMD and I'm obsessed with this. Doesn't break me out. It goes on white, but then when you rub it in, it's really easy. Feels like a moisturizer. So it's hydrating. Super hydrating."
Approved
"EltaMD is a clinical brand, just because a lot of derm offices sell it. It's a sunscreen brand and they have so many sunscreens. We love EltaMD because very well studied, very well formulated. Definitely a lot of science behind the formulations. All the sunscreens have zinc oxide in it to ensure that there's good UVA coverage. They also make sure that they have tints that are available and that suit well for all skin tones. Their most viral product is the UV Clear. That one is great for people with oily or acne prone skin."
All 4 takes from Dr. Mamina
Dermatologist Ranks VIRAL Skincare Brands(Shocking) | Part 2
"EltaMD is a clinical brand, just because a lot of derm offices sell it. It's a sunscreen brand and they have so many sunscreens. We love EltaMD because very well studied, very well formulated. Definitely a lot of science behind the formulations. All the sunscreens have zinc oxide in it to ensure that there's good UVA coverage. They also make sure that they have tints that are available and that suit well for all skin tones. Their most viral product is the UV Clear. That one is great for people with oily or acne prone skin."
My Favorite Summer Skincare Tips & Products
"EltaMD is a huge favorite amongst derms and I really like the UV Clear. It goes on really well. There's a non-tinted and the tinted version that's SPF 46."
Does Sunscreen Cause Cancer?
"EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 is one of my favorite safe and effective sunscreen products for your face."
How to Fade Your Acne Scars
"EltaMD has a good one, the UV Clear SPF 46. This one has niacinamide in it, which is nice. When people ask what the best sunscreen is to use, I tell them the one that you're willing to use every day."
Approved
"I've been a huge fan of UV Clear for a very long time and I've always liked it. It's one of the first sunscreens I used pretty consistently. It's got 5% niacinamide in it and it's really good for that oily acne prone skin."
All 2 takes from Doctorly
The ULTIMATE Normal & Combination Skincare Routine | Doctorly Routines
"EltaMD UV Clear sunscreen is a great product, really is great for pretty much all skin types. It's got the addition of niacinamide in it, just a great product. A little bit on the pricier side but definitely gets the job done."
Top Sunscreens, How Tariffs Affect Skincare, and Trump Goes After Big Pharma | Doctorly Unhinged
"I've been a huge fan of UV Clear for a very long time and I've always liked it. It's one of the first sunscreens I used pretty consistently. It's got 5% niacinamide in it and it's really good for that oily acne prone skin."
Approved
"Ulta MD makes really nice ones."
All 7 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
Dermatologist skincare picks for Chinese New Year | Dr. Jenny Liu
"The first one is from EltaMD and it's their UV Clear. It is a nice elegant sunscreen that I think most moms and aunties would like. It contains predominately zinc oxide with one chemical filter, also has niacinamide and other antioxidants to work synergistically to fend off environmental aggressors while at the same time helping to nourish your skin barrier. I also love the fact that it comes in a clear non-tinted as well as tinted, and if you have a loved one that struggles with hyperpigmentation, that tint can really help to also block visible light. It's a lovely elegant sunscreen, great for anyone with more sensitive skin or looking to simplify their morning routine with a moisturizer and sunscreen in one, and it's great to use in the winter time. I highly recommend it."
Week 2 Vitiligo
"Ulta MD makes really nice ones."
Sensitive Skin routine for less then $100 from a dermatologist | Dr. Jenny Liu
"EltaMD UV Clear, which is for about $38, you get great options tinted and non-tinted, and that one is also really lovely, very elegant, and it's mineral based but will not give you any white cast."
What you need to know about skin cancers | Dr. Jenny Liu
"For those looking for an elegant mineral sunscreen, whether because you're super sensitive or chemical sunscreen breaks you out, I highly recommend EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46. Pure mineral zinc oxide filter along with niacinamide, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid that is just really lightweight, leaves no white cast, suitable for oily acne-prone skin as well, great to wear long or under makeup. This is one I highly recommend. EltaMD makes really nice, elegant mineral-based sunscreen."
Dermatologists Answer Sunscreen Questions
"EltaMD has the UV Clear as well as tinted, and both contain niacinamide and I think that's a great ingredient if you're acne prone. I love that EltaMD one, I use it all the time."
Dermatologist reviews viral skincare trends of 2023 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"EltaMD UV Clear, they have tinted and non-tinted sunscreens are super elegant."
Tips for transitioning skincare from winter to spring and summer | Dr. Jenny Liu
"EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 is a lovely option, especially for those with sensitive skin or acne-prone skin. Some individuals with acne do feel like chemical sunscreens tend to break them out more, so if you're not fond of chemical sunscreen, this is a great option to pick. It is elegant and nice to wear alone or under makeup. It does not leave a white cast. Aside from the zinc oxide, which is the mineral filter, it also contains niacinamide, which is a great antioxidant that helps support the skin barrier, along with vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. All of those ingredients make a wonderful formula to support your skin barrier and provide additional antioxidant benefits to skin. It's an elegant mineral filter that doesn't leave white cast and doesn't feel heavy or sticky or greasy on the skin."
Approved
"One of my favorites from EltaMD is UV Clear. It is a hybrid sunscreen with zinc and also some chemical filters, so it's less likely to sting than an all chemical sunscreen but not as likely to leave a white cast as an all mineral sunscreen. The EltaMD UV Clear finish is pretty matte, which makes it a great option for really oily skin. EltaMD UV Clear has niacinamide, which is great for redness, helps with the moisture barrier, and helps with hyperpigmentation. It's good for people who have acne because of the anti-inflammatory properties, but if you're sensitive to niacinamide then that would be one to avoid."
All 4 takes from Dr Dray
This Is Extreme! Bryan Johnson's Anti-Aging Skincare Routine
"I wear sunscreen because the Sun causes damage it ages the skin and causing agent damage so I try to spend my time in the sun in the early mornings or in the evenings when the UV index is low otherwise I stay out of the Sun but when I am in the sun I do have sun screen on."
*NEW* EltaMD UV Skin Recovery Sunscreens Review
"One of my favorites from EltaMD is UV Clear. It is a hybrid sunscreen with zinc and also some chemical filters, so it's less likely to sting than an all chemical sunscreen but not as likely to leave a white cast as an all mineral sunscreen. The EltaMD UV Clear finish is pretty matte, which makes it a great option for really oily skin. EltaMD UV Clear has niacinamide, which is great for redness, helps with the moisture barrier, and helps with hyperpigmentation. It's good for people who have acne because of the anti-inflammatory properties, but if you're sensitive to niacinamide then that would be one to avoid."
*NEW* EltaMD UV Clear & Daily Deep Tints | May 2024 Skincare
"I have always recommended UV Clear and UV Daily because they look really nice on the skin and in my opinion these are the quintessential matte formulas. There is no shine with these sunscreens. They're a lightweight lotion formula so they're moisturizing. They don't have alcohol denaturant like many gel sunscreens, but in contrast to a lot of lotion cream formulas they're not shiny. UV Clear has niacinamide which is a wonderful ingredient for redness, dark spots, and the moisture barrier, though some people are sensitive to it."
Top Skincare Essentials At Target 🛒
"It has niacinamide which is helpful for redness. It has a nice tint, blends in well, zero white cast. It is an organic, aka chemical sunscreen. I really like this. I am currently almost finished with my second tube of it. It's water resistant so it could be a great option for days where you are sweating and maybe out and it's humid, less like a run in the eyes."
Approved
"EltaMD is a very research-backed brand. There's a reason why you find it in the majority of spas you go to. Very well accredited. They give great protection to the skin, and especially for someone as fair and as sensitive as her skin can get to the sun, you've got to be consistent and hardcore with sun protection."
All 2 takes from Hyram
Reacting to Leighton Meester's Skin Care Routine
"EltaMD is kind of considered like the best sunscreens, at least American sunscreens. However, when it comes to sunscreens you got to be really really careful about mixing anything into them. If you mix any other skincare product with your sunscreen it can render your sunscreen useless, which means you're not getting the sun protection that you think you're getting and it can actually lead to skin damage and irritation."
Specialist Reacts to Alex Cooper's Skin Care Routine
"EltaMD is a very research-backed brand. There's a reason why you find it in the majority of spas you go to. Very well accredited. They give great protection to the skin, and especially for someone as fair and as sensitive as her skin can get to the sun, you've got to be consistent and hardcore with sun protection."
Approved
"In terms of my facial sunscreen I love a tinted sunscreen. EltaMD makes a great tinted sunscreen. This is a broad-spectrum SPF 46. It's very thin and tinted, and it has in it niacinamide, which is great for moisture, and hyaluronic acid, so it's a treatment and a sunscreen in one. I love that."
Approved
"EltaMD has the UV Clear, it's like $50 with niacinamide. It's expensive, but it's really really good."
All 3 takes from Cassandra Bankson
I Built A CEO/ Former Managing Director of Facebook A Skincare Routine. Kirthiga Reddy’s SkinStory
"I haven't started using it yet, it just got one."
3 Acne Destroying Skincare Tips I Wish I knew When I was 16
"EltaMD has the UV Clear, it's like $50 with niacinamide. It's expensive, but it's really really good."
Why JLo puts Nutella on her face and more Insane Celebrity Beauty “Secrets” You Should NEVER Do!
"So many people love the EltaMD sunscreen like Haley Bieber, all of these celebrities on Harper's Bazaar, they're using sunscreens in their routine. This is amazing, this is fantastic. Sunscreen is phenomenal for your skin and it is one of the best ways to prevent wrinkles, to prevent fine lines, to prevent dark spots and melasma and more."
Approved
"EltaMD UV Clear is always one of my recommendations for patients who have rosacea or acne prone skin, and the reason for that is because it contains niacinamide which can help with both acne and rosacea. It's also an antioxidant and can also help brighten up some dark spots and scars. This one is zinc oxide nine percent and octinoxate seven and a half percent, so it is a hybrid sunscreen with a mineral sunscreen component and a chemical sunscreen component as well. This one is oil free, non-comedogenic so it doesn't clog your pores, really great for oily acne prone skin, and it also contains some hyaluronic acid to help hydrate your skin."
Approved
"For oily acne prone skin you really want to consider reaching for a sunscreen that has zinc oxide in the formula. It doesn't have to be the only filter, this is actually a hybrid with both inorganic and organic filters, but zinc can really help to absorb some of the excess oil that's clearly associated with oily acne prone skin and also zinc has a lot of great properties for acne. One of the sunscreens that I recommend literally all day to my patients and it's a huge patient favorite is the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46. This comes in both tinted and non-tinted options and again it's a hybrid sunscreen which really helps with the blendability of the sunscreen. The tinted option has the iron oxides in there which can really help if your acne healed with hyperpigmentation."
Approved
"EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 is the sunscreen I have recommended the most consistently to my patients over the last decade of my practice. It has great broad-spectrum coverage, so it's going to protect you from both UVA and UVB rays, but it also has niacinamide, which is a fantastic antioxidant that's anti-inflammatory and can help with things like acne. This is a really good sunscreen if you are acne prone. This was one of the first broad-spectrum sunscreens to incorporate niacinamide in a really intentional way. Niacinamide helps with pigment brightening. It helps calm inflammation. So when you combine it in a sunscreen, it makes for a product that is very good for people who have sensitive skin and acne prone skin. If I have a patient who has struggled to find a daily sunscreen that their skin really agrees with, EltaMD UV Clear is my go-to because it is beloved by so many people and very, very consistently."
Sponsored
All 3 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
Answering Your Biggest Skincare Questions From The Comments Section | Dr. Sam Ellis
"The most well-known of the sunscreens I recommend for acne is EltaMD UV Clear. This formula has been around for over a decade. It was one of the very first sunscreens I ever truly fell in love with, first as a consumer and then as a dermatologist. This formula is so beautiful. It's very lightweight on the skin. It's meant to not clog your pores. I find that a lot of people who are acne prone do really well with it. This was one of the first sunscreens to really lean into the ingredient niacinamide. EltaMD was very much a pioneer with incorporating this into a formula. Niacinamide helps with barrier function. It helps with oil control. It acts as an antioxidant. So having that within a sunscreen can be very helpful if you are acne prone or you feel like your sunscreen tends to make you oily."
My Most Purchased Skincare Products as a Derm | Dr. Sam Ellis
"EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 is the sunscreen I have recommended the most consistently to my patients over the last decade of my practice. It has great broad-spectrum coverage, so it's going to protect you from both UVA and UVB rays, but it also has niacinamide, which is a fantastic antioxidant that's anti-inflammatory and can help with things like acne. This is a really good sunscreen if you are acne prone. This was one of the first broad-spectrum sunscreens to incorporate niacinamide in a really intentional way. Niacinamide helps with pigment brightening. It helps calm inflammation. So when you combine it in a sunscreen, it makes for a product that is very good for people who have sensitive skin and acne prone skin. If I have a patient who has struggled to find a daily sunscreen that their skin really agrees with, EltaMD UV Clear is my go-to because it is beloved by so many people and very, very consistently."
Is Expensive Sunscreen Really Better? A Dermatologist Tells All | Dr. Sam Ellis
"The EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 sunscreen was literally the first sunscreen I ever used and was like, 'Oh, this is awesome.' And it really did make me want to use sunscreen more. This is my go-to sunscreen rec. When someone's like, 'What's a sunscreen that I can buy in the US that performs well, that's good for sensitive skin?' I lean on this so often and I feel like it's absolutely worth that slightly elevated price tag. When you apply it, it feels like it's between a lotion and a cream. It's a little heavier than a lotion, but not as rich as a cream, which I really like because I find that it's supportive of the skin barrier without weighing your skin down or making your skin look oily or feel greasy throughout the day, which is also why I love this for people who are acne prone. It is my top rec basically for my acne prone patients who are looking for a sunscreen to incorporate into their skincare routine. I love it. I don't think I will ever stop loving it."
Approved
"The Elta MD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 is a combination sunscreen with zinc and octinoxate and this is a beautiful sunscreen. It goes on clear, it's slightly dewy, it's not overly glowy. Your recommendation was spot on with this sunscreen, I love it. It's so pretty and it covers without any white cast. Elta MD typically knocks it out of the park with their sunscreens."
Sponsored
You might also like

Similar products worth a look.

Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest