7 Best Sunscreens for Tattoos to Protect the Color and Longevity
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The key to a beautiful tattoo is all in the aftercare (read: using the best sunscreens for tattoos). The healing process is crucial for preserving the appearance, yes, but caring for your ink doesn’t stop after the standard two weeks of healing time. Similar to your facial skin care routine, your tattoo should also be moisturized regularly and protected with SPF every time you leave the house. That’s because one of the most important factors in the life of a tattoo is UVB and UVA exposure. Have you ever seen older tattoos so faded you can barely tell what it is? That’s likely due to sun damage. The best way to prevent this? (You guessed it!) Lots and lots of sunscreen. Below are the best types of sunscreens, according to a tattoo artist, dermatologist, and tons of customer reviews.
The best sunscreens for tattoos, at a glance
- Best Overall: Mad Rabbit SPF 30 Tattoo Sunscreen, $25
- Best Drugstore: Sun Bum Sunscreen Face Stick SPF 30, $12
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Supergoop!’s SPF 50 Glow Stick, $30
- Best for Darker Skin: EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46, $43
Your tattoo sunscreen questions, answered
Best Overall: Mad Rabbit SPF 30 Tattoo Sunscreen
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Courtesy of brand
1/11Mad Rabbit SPF 30 Tattoo Sunscreen
Mad Rabbit’s fragrance-free SPF moisturizer is formulated specifically for tattooed skin, and with over a thousand 5-star reviews on Amazon, it’s safe to say they nailed it. “I love that this is unscented, and bonus points for being a mineral sunscreen; a good mineral formula can be hard to find,” says Via Savage, a stick-and-poke artist at Dollface Tattoo Brooklyn.
Best Drugstore: Sun Bum Sunscreen Face Stick SPF 30
Courtesy of brand2/11Sun Bum Sunscreen Face Stick SPF 30
As a tattoo artist, Savage recommends sunscreen sticks, because they’re “portable and mess-free.” If you’re looking for a “super affordable” option, Savage says Sun Bum’s Sunscreen Face Stick is a solid choice. With 4.2 stars, this stick is hypoallergenic and water-resistant for 80 minutes. Of course, it also features the brand’s signature Piña Colada scent (the unofficial fragrance of summer).
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Best for Sensitive Skin: Supergoop!’s SPF 50 Glow Stick
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Courtesy of brand
3/11Supergoop!’s SPF 50 Glow Stick
As a proud tattoo owner myself, I use Supergoop!’s SPF 50 Glow Stick to protect my 26 tattoos (and counting). And even though I’m particularly prone to sunburns, it hasn’t failed me yet. Savage says she’s “also a huge fan of Supergoop! products,” and particularly recommends Supergoop! as a great sunscreen for sensitive skin. “It has long been a go-to brand for me, because I know it doesn’t cause me any irritation.” She also “swears by their Unseen Sunscreen.”
Best for Dark Skin: EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Courtesy of brand
4/11EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
Tattoo protection is “especially important for darker skin types,” says William Kwan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, because “sun hyperpigmentation is very common” among people of color. EltaMD’s UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon for this exact reason. In addition to its lightweight, nongreasy formula, the transparent lotion doesn’t leave a white cast. One customer says they’ve purchased six bottles so far, because “I spend quite a bit of time outside as an avid tennis player and it doesn’t show up or sweat off white on my dark brown [African American] skin.”
Best for Full Body: Coppertone Sport Sunscreen SPF 70
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Courtesy of brand
5/11Coppertone Sport Sunscreen SPF 70
Though mineral sunblock is a reliable option, if you’re looking to avoid a white cast, a traditional sunscreen lotion is your best bet. “For my patients with darker skin types, a chemical sunblock agent might be more appropriate,” says Dr. Kwan. Coppertone Sport has a 4.7-star rating and, according to reviewers, spreads cleanly over tattoo ink. “I use this stuff on my entire body, which is heavily tattooed. Doesn’t leave a white cast and protects all my ink,” one customer wrote.
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Best Spray: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist
Courtesy of brand6/11Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist
As far as chemical sunscreens go, Dr. Kwan says, “most dermatologists feel pretty comfortable recommending Neutrogena,” because they’re photostable. This means the formula is resistant to change under the sun’s rays. “Dermatologists recommend that people reapply every two hours,” he says. “But if you forget to reapply, it’s probably still gonna be fairly effective for several hours past that.”
Savage recommends Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Body Mist sunscreen spray specifically. “[It’s] a favorite of mine for beach days, because it’s easy to reapply—I spray some in my hands and then rub it on. Plus, it’s not greasy or sticky, and it’s super affordable.”
Best Powder: Colorescience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder
- Original image by Glamour reviewer Kelsey Stiegman
- Courtesy of brand
7/11Colorescience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder
This mineral sunscreen is an Amazon best-seller and comes highly recommended by Dr. Kwan. “The Colorescience sunscreens are nice. They come in their own kind of capsule and it has a brush attached to it, so people can just slip it into their purse,” he says. This sunscreen powder type is particularly useful for athletes, because “it’s waterproof and sweatproof, and it typically won’t rub off on clothing very easily.”
8/11What does sun damage do to tattoos?
“Over time, the pigment in tattoos is broken down by the sun’s UV rays,” says Via Savage, a stick-and-poke artist at Dollface Tattoo Brooklyn. “The most commonly seen effect is fading of the ink, which happens to all tattoos to some extent, but the more frequently your tattoos are exposed to sunlight, the faster that process will occur. Even if you take great care of your tattoo as it’s healing, if you then spend hours in the sun every day without any SPF protection, you’re going to see some serious fading real fast.”
In some cases, the sun damage is so severe, tattoo owners choose to get the ink removed—which is the specialty of William Kwan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills. Dr. Kwan has been removing tattoos for more than 30 years and is the chair of the Clinical Advisory Board at Removery, a laser tattoo removal facility with 150 locations worldwide. “If it’s in an area that gets a lot of sun exposure, it tends to fade quicker, it tends to get dispersed quicker, based on the consistent ultraviolet that area is receiving,” Dr. Kwan tells Glamour.
According to Dr. Kwan, brighter colors are particularly prone to this and should be treated with extra care. “The darker colors are a little bit more resistant [to fading]. If somebody has a really pretty multicolored tattoo, I wanna make sure that they’re protecting that to have the integrity of that tattoo look as good as possible,” he says. “I think the lighter or more vibrant colors tend to fade quicker, so we’re talking about the yellows, the oranges, the different colors.”
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9/11How much SPF do you need for tattoos?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends a minimum of SPF 30, though Dr. Kwan stresses the importance of proper application over rating. “I recommend a 50 or higher,” he says, but what’s more important is that “they’re applying it fairly liberally and reapplying.”
10/11Is mineral sunscreen better for tattoos?
Dr. Kwan and Savage both agree that mineral sunscreen, otherwise known as physical sunscreen, is the most reliable option. “Mineral sunscreens are ideal for tattoos, because they physically block UV rays by sitting on top of the skin, and they tend to have less irritating ingredients than chemical sunscreens,” says Savage.
When shopping, look for broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect against UVA rays and UVB rays (not to mention skin cancer and premature aging). As far as ingredients go, shop for zinc oxide, oxybenzone, iron oxide, or titanium-based formulations. “Those [ingredients] don’t break down very easily in the sun, so it’ll stay fairly stable for a long time,” says Dr. Kwan.
11/11When can I start putting sunscreen on a new tattoo?
Your tattoo should be fully healed before you start using sunblock (mineral or chemical). “It’s important to remember that fresh tattoos are open wounds,” Savage says. “Just like you wouldn’t rub sunscreen into a scrape or cut, it’s best to hold off on the SPF until your tattoo is fully healed—ideally, at least two weeks.”
If you must expose your new tattoo to direct sunlight, Dr. Kwan recommends using a physical barrier, like a bandage, to cover your healing ink. “Just covering the tattoo is really helpful. I usually recommend getting one of those nonstick pads, like a Telfa pad, and just tape it with a little paper tape.”
