12 Best Sunscreen Sticks to Buy for Summer 2023

You already know you should be applying sunscreen every day. It can be a drag, but nowadays SPF formulas come in all shapes and sizes—from the best sunscreen sticks to family-friendly pump-top bottles and TSA-approved sprays.

Best Sunscreen Sticks 2023:

The most convenient application, however, is probably stick form. Rather than dealing with tubes of gloppy liquid or bulky sprays that tend to sting the eyes (and somehow also end up in your mouth or all over your food), sunscreen sticks are self-contained in, well, a stick, so all you have to do is swipe the formula on your face or body. They’re also usually tiny, meaning you can toss them into a giant beach bag or the tiniest designer tote for reapplying throughout the day (and they won’t leak).

The formulas pack a punch too. Debra Jaliman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York, says sunscreen sticks are just as effective as any other mineral SPF or body sunscreen, adding that they’re particularly desirable for an intense concentration of sunscreen in small areas like noses, ears, and the jawline.

The only downside: “While they are effective on other areas of the body, it’s really not very practical to use a small sunscreen stick for full-body application,” says Peter Young, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Nurx Dermatology, a telehealth practice. This is why experts recommend stocking up on both sticks and either lotions or sprays for continuous broad-spectrum protection allover.

To help you find the best formulas out there, we asked dermatologists for their go-tos, plus scoured popular retailers for the most highly rated options to add to your skin care routine.

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