What Is Matte-Finish Sunscreen? Say Goodbye to Shine

For those with oily skin, classic dewy sunscreens can compound that shiny look, which can be frustrating. If you can relate, you might want to give matte-finish sunscreen a try.

Matte sunscreens blur flaws and have a matte finish–meaning they don’t have that sheen that most sunscreen formulas do. While many people like that slight dewiness to their skin, it’s not for everyone.

Sunscreen is a necessity as your top line of defense against sunburns, premature aging skin, and skin cancer, but it can also serve an aesthetic purpose. With matte sunscreen, you achieve a smooth, perfected complexion that makes you feel confident.

If mattifying sunscreen sounds like it might be for you, learn more below about the benefits, how to use it, and our recommendation for the best matte-finish sunscreen.

What Is Matte Sunscreen?

Most sunscreens typically have a lotion-like texture that is designed to leave your skin with a dewy sheen. This leaves your skin looking youthful and bright while also providing essential sun protection.

As opposed to typical dewy sunscreens, matte SPF formulas minimize oiliness on your skin altogether. If you have oily skin, or maybe just the shiny look of sunscreen was one of the things holding you back from protecting your face against the sun's harmful UV rays, a matte-finish sunscreen could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Matte-finish sunscreens also protect you from sun damage and negative side effects, without making you look greasy or oily. When it comes to choosing the right sunscreen, mattifying sunscreen is best for those with skin types prone to acne, sensitive skin, or sweaty, oily skin.

To summarize, matte sunscreens give your face a flawless, shine-free look while balancing the oil and grease on your skin.

Pro tip: If you want your face to have that matte finish but love a slight sheen to the rest of your skin, use a dewy sunscreen as part of your body care routine and a matte sunscreen as part of your face skincare routine.

Skin types matte sunscreen is best for.

Why Matte is a Must: Benefits of Matte-Finish Sunscreen

If you’re looking to protect your skin from harmful UV rays without giving your skin that greasy or shiny look, mattifying sunscreen could be the ultimate game changer for you.

As with any sunscreen, the main benefit is protecting your skin from the sun to help prevent sunburn, premature aging of your skin, and skin cancer. Matte SPF can be an asset to anyone's skincare routine by also giving you that mattified, perfected finish.

Formulated for a smooth, matte finish that looks natural and feels weightless, mattifying sunscreen helps you control the oil, grease, and shine on your face without clogging pores.

Ideal for oily or acne-prone skin types, matte sunscreen contains absorbent ingredients that minimize oiliness on your skin. This leaves your face with a smooth, matte finish that is shine-free and gives your skin a diffused, velvety look.

Red-headed woman enjoying the beach wearing a sun hat.

Top Pick for a True Matte Finish

We get it; it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the different brands and products out there when trying to buy the best matte-finish sunscreen for your skin.

Colorescience’s Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 is a daily mineral sunscreen backed by patented EnviroScreen® Technology, which means a comprehensive skin defense against UVA/UVB rays, pollution, blue (HEV) light, and infrared radiation.

This matte-finish sunscreen is specifically formulated for those who suffer from blemish-prone or oily skin but is also a great option for normal or combination skin types. With advanced nourishing antioxidants and hydrating ingredients, matte sunscreen helps promote long-term healthy skin.

We’ve outlined some of the key benefits below to help you decide if Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 is the right matte-finish sunscreen for you.

Blurring & Shine-Free Finish

Colorescience Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 absorbs excess oil, leaving your skin shine-free with a lightweight, comfortably matted finish that minimizes the appearance of pores.

The matte formula is lightly tinted with a unique iron oxide formula for additional blue (HEV) light defense and blends in sheer, without the white cast tint of normal sunscreens.

Best for those with a medium to deep skin tone, this lightweight mineral sunscreen leaves your skin looking fresh and feeling clean with a modern matte finish.

Benefits of matte sunscreen.

Long-Term Skin Health

Created with an antioxidant-rich formula, Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 is free of:

  • Parabens
  • Sulfates
  • Phthalates
  • Oils
  • Dyes
  • Fragrance

With 100% chemical-free actives, this sunscreen is designed to target and do the heavy lifting in addressing specific skin concerns like sun damage and premature aging of your skin. Our matte sunscreen contains nourishing, hydrating ingredients that help encourage long-term skin health.

Powerful Sun Protection

Protect your skin from sunburn, aging skin, and skin cancer. Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 contains a powerful broad spectrum SPF 50/PA++++ shield against the harmful rays of the sun and is water and sweat-resistant for up to 40 minutes.

Powered by patented EnviroScreen® Technology, this matte-finish sunscreen provides your skin with environmental protection against:

  • UVA/UVB rays
  • Pollution
  • Blue (HEV) light
  • Infrared radiation

You need to wear sunscreen every day, and Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 is an excellent choice for all the reasons above.

Sun protection highlights of Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50

For a Demi-Matte Finish

If you’re not quite looking for a fully matte complexion, consider a sunscreen with a demi-matte finish, like Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50.

This lightweight mineral sunscreen features innovative iron oxide pigments for a tone-adapting tinted finish that evens your skin tone and achieves a flawless look. This demi-matte sunscreen is safe for sensitive skin and all skin types, and works for a broad range of skin tones.

Adapts to Skin Tone

Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50 features iron-oxide-rich pigments that burst to life on your fingertips and deliver tone-adapting, buildable color coverage for your skin, with a demi-matte natural finish.

Available in four unique, flexible shades, ideal for a broad range of skin tones and undertones. Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50 provides medium color coverage and feels lightweight on your skin.

Stuck deciding between two different shades? We recommend getting the lighter one and building up color coverage on your skin until you reach the desired natural and healthy-glowing shade.

Long-Term Skin Health

With an antioxidant-rich formula free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, oil, dyes, and fragrances, Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50 contains 100% chemical-free actives. This sunscreen is designed to target skin concerns by nourishing, hydrating, and protecting.

EnviroScreen® Technology provides your skin with environmental protection against UVA/UVB rays, pollution, blue (HEV) light, and infrared radiation and uses advanced antioxidants and hydrating, nourishing ingredients to promote long-term healthy skin.

Woman with healthy skin with a matte finish.

Powerful Sun Protection

Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50 protects your skin from sunburn, aging skin, and skin cancer. This demi-matte sunscreen offers powerful Broad Spectrum SPF 50/PA++++ shield protection and is water and sweat-resistant for up to 40 minutes.

Keep in mind that with all the negative effects of not wearing sunscreen, wearing any type of sunscreen is better than wearing none. So, whether you decide on a matte, demi-matte, or dewy finish, just make sure to wear sunscreen every day and reapply every two hours.

How to use Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50

Matte sunscreens are often preferred by those with normal to oily and combination skin types because they provide a shine-free finish that can combat any natural oiliness. With a matte-finish sunscreen, you can achieve a fresh and clean-looking complexion whether you wear it with or without makeup.

So, how do you integrate matte sunscreen into your daily regimen? Here’s what we recommend.

Apply Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 liberally and evenly to your face after your morning face wash and skincare routine but before you start your makeup. Make sure you don’t forget about the hard-to-reach areas, like the back of your neck or behind your ears, for full, even coverage and skin protection.

On areas that require additional oil control, such as the T-zone or any other problem areas, simply spot-apply as needed.

To best protect your skin, you should put on your matte sunscreen before going out in the morning. To remain completely protected, reapply at least every two hours.

For the best on-the-go protection and continued oil absorption, you can pair Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 with Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Sheer Matte SPF 30 Brush-on Sunscreen.

Look & Feel Fresh with a Modern Matte Finish

Developing a daily habit of applying sunscreen is the first step to prioritizing your skin health by providing protection against premature aging, skin damage, and the potential risk of skin cancer.

The second step is finding the right sunscreen that works best for your skin type and personal preferences. Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Matte SPF 50 is formulated with oil-absorbing ingredients, great for stopping sun damage and shielding your skin from harmful UV rays without making you look oily or greasy.

Perfect for starting your day, this sunscreen leaves your skin looking velvety smooth and with a matte, shine-free finish. Try it for yourself to see why everyone is loving matte sunscreens right now.

Colorescience sunscreen and skin care products elevate experienced skincare with gentle but powerful, non-chemical formulas that provide added shields and defense against environmental pollution and stressors. Try our wide range of mineral sunscreens today to find the right formula for you.