At last – mineral sunscreens that don’t make you look like a ghost

I never thought I’d write so uncritically about a mineral sunscreen, but what follows is an unequivocal rave. Sunscreens that use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (rather than synthetic chemical filters) can be useful, even essential, for those with highly sensitive and reactive skin. They tend not to cause the stinging or streaming eyes common with synthetics, and some studies show they’re a more helpful option for those with melasma and other pigmentation issues. They also play well with makeup, while some synthetics can ball up and peel off when applying foundation.

But all this goodness comes with a short but significant cons list: minerals are heavier, greasier and leave a trace, ranging from a fine, chalky veil to a ghostly white cast. It isn’t pleasant for anyone, but is particularly intolerable on deeper skin tones.

Nowhere near as many consumers enjoy using mineral sunscreen as they do modern, light, fluid, invisible synthetic alternatives, and I don’t blame them. But they now have cause to reconsider. Ultra Violette’s Future Fluid SPF50+ (£38) is, without question, the best mineral sunscreen I’ve ever used.

It’s unlike any I’ve tested before and is damn near perfect. It has a light, fluid texture that, while dewy and moisturising, is without the suffocating feel of traditional minerals (and thanks to the use of the somehow ungreasy oil squalane, it’s suitable for combination and moderately oily skins). It’s fragrance-free, and gentle enough for me to use all around my eyes – no stinging, itching or streaming. But best of all, it is almost clear, leaving zero white cast, even when applied lavishly enough that I can skip moisturiser altogether.

It is a feat of product development that has essentially delivered a mineral sunscreen for people who hate mineral sunscreens, and further fuelled my belief that the best SPFs in the world are now Australian.

That said, US teen brand Bubble is also upping the mineral SPF game. Its Solar Mate Daily Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 (£19) is designed for adolescents but can be used by anyone and is very good. It’s a tad heavier than the Ultra Violette, but comfortable and ungreasy, and although the cream is near-opaque, it sheers out almost imperceptibly. This pump dispensing tube is great for keeping in your handbag and well priced for a mineral.

Kate Somerville’s new HydraKate Illuminating SPF50+ Drops (£39) are also very impressive, giving visible glow without the telltale floury tinge and leaving skin well hydrated and ready to accept makeup.

I can’t help feeling that mineral sunscreens are about to change for ever. It’s about time.