If you’ve spent any time scrolling skin-care TikTok, you’ve probably seen people raving about Yuka. The French-born app rates personal care products (and food) on a 0 to 100 scale based on ingredients. In turn, its algorithm has become a popular way for consumers to discern what sunscreens they can feel comfortable putting on their skin. The app weeds out everything from questionable UV filters to controversial preservatives, making it an easy way to feel confident in your SPF picks.
Ahead, how Yuka scores sunscreens—and the best Yuka-approved picks by category.
What Makes a Sunscreen Yuka-Approved
Yuka rates sunscreens by scanning the ingredient list and running each one against its database of roughly 12,600 assessed compounds, then assigning each ingredient a color-coded risk level—green (risk-free), yellow (low risk), orange (moderate risk) or red (hazardous). Those individual ratings feed into an overall product score on a 0 to 100 scale, with 75-100 considered excellent, 50-75 good and anything below 50 poor.
Points get deducted more heavily for ingredients flagged as potential carcinogens or allergens, along with irritants, pollutants and endocrine disruptors. However, it’s worth noting that Yuka doesn’t run its own tests to verify how well a sunscreen actually protects against UVA or UVB rays, so a product can boast a high Yuka score even if independent testing finds its sun protection lacking. In other words, a solid Yuka score tells you the formula is relatively low-risk on paper—not necessarily that it’s your best defense against sun damage.
Yuka-Approved Spray Sunscreen
1 / 2
Native swaps the synthetic filters found in most spray sunscreens for a mineral formula instead—a rarity in this format. This fragrance-free option keeps the ingredient list as clean as possible, although its scented counterpart also nabbed a solid score.
Also try: Native Mineral Suncare Sunscreen Spray 30 Pear & Coconut Water ($20) — 84/100
2 / 2
Best known for its viral soaps, Dr. Squatch brings that signature fun and lively approach to sunscreen with this coconut-scented mineral formula, keeping its ingredient list clean enough to satisfy Yuka without smelling like a lab.
Also try: Dr. Squatch Amber Solstice Sunscreen SPF 30 ($20) — 76/100
Yuka-Approved Tinted Sunscreen
1 / 1
This tinted version of the brand’s original solves the classic mineral-sunscreen complaint about white cast by adding a sheer tint that blends into most skin tones with the same short, sensitive-skin-friendly ingredient list that made the original stick a favorite.
Yuka-Approved Sunscreen for Face
1 / 10
A smaller indie brand that’s quickly gaining a following, Sky & Sol keeps its formula refreshingly simple, which is exactly the kind of ingredient transparency that earns high Yuka marks.
2 / 10
This stick format makes mid-day reapplication effortless, and its plant-based formula helps the zinc oxide finish sheer rather than chalky, all with minimal ingredients.
3 / 10
Bubble built its name on Gen Z-friendly, skin-barrier-conscious formulas, and this stick follows that same playbook with a clean, zinc-based formula designed to layer easily under the brand’s other products.
4 / 10
A face-specific spinoff of Badger’s cult classic, this stick maintains the same short, recognizable ingredient list but in a more precise, mess-free format.
Also try: Badger Kids Mineral Sunscreen Face Stick SPF 35 ($14) — 91/100
5 / 10
A gentler, face-specific take on the brand’s body formulas, this SPF leans on non-nano zinc oxide and antioxidant-rich botanicals, giving it the clean profile Yuka rewards without feeling heavy under makeup.
6 / 10
Kopari’s coconut-derived, beachy skin-care ethos carries over into this stick, which pairs zinc oxide with nourishing oils for a dewy finish without sacrificing a clean formulation.
7 / 10
Rooted in Peach & Lily’s glass-skin philosophy, this sunscreen prioritizes a lit-from-within finish while keeping its ingredient list simple enough to satisfy Yuka’s algorithm.
8 / 10
A K-beauty favorite known for its featherlight, second-skin finish, this suncream folds in the brand’s signature centella extract for a soothing effect that’s made it a viral favorite.
9 / 10
Evereden formulates specifically for the sensitive skin of kids, making it a trustworthy pick for the whole family’s littlest members. This sunscreen doubles as a moisturizer, with a simple, barrier-friendly ingredient list that earns it high marks.
10 / 10
This New Zealand-based sunscreen boasts an omega-enriched formula that pairs a high SPF with a sheer, non-greasy finish—rare for a mineral sunscreen at this protection level—without adding the ingredients that typically drag down a score.
Yuka-Approved Sunscreen for Body
1 / 9
Blue Lizard sunscreens are cult favorites for good reason. This zinc oxide stick is fragrance-free, dye-free and gentle enough for even the most reactive skin types, yet it still glides on without the chalky drag some mineral sticks are known for.
Also try: Blue Lizard Kids Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+ ($9) — 93/100
4 / 9
Pipette has become shorthand for “safe for the whole family,” and this mineral sunscreen lotion delivers on that promise with a lightweight, water-resistant zinc formula that even layers well under makeup.
5 / 9
This sheer zinc stick was designed with sensitive and eczema-prone skin in mind, and its clean formulation makes it just as popular with adults as it is with the kids it was originally created for.
Also try: Babo Botanicals Super Shield Sport Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 ($15) — 93/100
6 / 9
Mustela’s baby-first formulation philosophy shows up here in a tear-free, fragrance-conscious stick that parents can feel good about, even on the most sensitive skin.
Also try: Mustela Mineral Baby Sunscreen SPF 50 ($22) — 79/100
7 / 9
Tubby Todd built its name on eczema-friendly baby products, and this sun stick follows suit with a short list of skin-soothing, zinc-based ingredients. It’s become a diaper-bag staple for even the most discerning parents.
8 / 9
Raw Elements is as straightforward as clean sunscreen gets. This formula features non-nano zinc oxide in a certified-natural base which also includes skin-loving ingredients like antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
9 / 9
This butter-based stick swaps the usual waxy feel for something closer to a balm, thanks to nourishing oils in a zinc oxide base. The best part? The texture upgrade that hasn’t cost it any clean-ingredient credibility.
Also try: All Good Kid’s Sunscreen Butter Stick SPF 50+ ($18) — 93/100
