For decades, sunscreen occupied an awkward place in the daily routine—something you wore because you had to, not something you looked forward to applying. Then serums got lighter, moisturizers got smarter and the skin-care-sunscreen barrier began to blur. Now, the category’s latest evolution is taking shape in a new texture: milk.
Milky products have taken over everything from toners to fragrance, so it only makes sense that milky sunscreens are having their moment as summer approaches. Milk sunscreens, which data from Spate shows are spiking in interest, hit the sweet spot between a lotion and a liquid, making them a dream to apply—thin enough to sink in in seconds, rich enough to deliver a serious surge of hydration
Part of what makes the milk format so compelling is its versatility. Whether powered by mineral zinc oxide or elegant chemical filters, a fluid, milk-like base allows actives to disperse more evenly, dry down more cleanly and play nicely with serums, tints and foundations layered on top.
Ahead, we’ve rounded up eight formulas to consider as you start putting together your summer SPF lineup.
The Best Milk Sunscreens to Try This Summer
1 / 8
Vacation Shake Shake will change your perception of mineral sunscreen from pasty and hard to apply to lightweight and easy to use. The shake-activated zinc oxide formula makes applying mineral SPF feel like a ritual instead of a chore. The creamy, cult-worthy formula sinks in without a whisper of white cast.
2 / 8
Summer Fridays recently revamped its mineral sunscreen and bumped its SPF from 30 to 50. Formulated to soothe and protect the skin, it’s the kind of everyday SPF that earns a permanent spot on your bathroom shelf, not just in your beach bag.
3 / 8
Korres brings its Greek yogurt–inspired skin care to sunscreen with this zinc oxide–based formula that melts into skin like a serum.
4 / 8
SPF 50 protection meets true hydration in a formula that disappears into skin almost instantly, leaving behind a faint, flattering glow. Plus, it smells like summer, with notes of pear, coconut milk, mango, pineapple and vanilla.
5 / 8
Tatcha’s recently launched milky formula goes beyond protection to help soften the look of dark spots, redness and fine lines. The barely-there, lightweight finish makes wearing sunscreen feel like second nature.
6 / 8
La Roche-Posay’s dermatologist-beloved sunscreen manages to deliver SPF 100 in a milky formula that melts seamlessly into skin. This body and face formula is an Amazon favorite, with thousands of shoppers purchasing it each month.
7 / 8
This milky sunscreen layers in peptides and pollution defense to help address signs of aging while shielding skin from UV. The texture is surprisingly weightless for a mineral formula. The addition of skin-care actives makes it a serum-sunscreen hybrid worth the splurge.
8 / 8
Here, First Aid Beauty’s sensitive skin–focused philosophy translates beautifully into a milky sunscreen. This non-comedogenic formula delivers a surge of hydration to dry, reactive skin while providing broad-spectrum protection.
