The $40 Sunscreen for a Face That's Mostly Indoors

Miami Beach. UV index: extreme. I'm outside kiteboarding, walking to coffee shops, existing near windows. Sunscreen is non-negotiable. So I bought the fanciest face sunscreen I could find.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen is a $38 tube of witchcraft. It goes on completely invisible. No white cast. No greasy feeling. It feels like a lightweight primer. Your face looks the same, maybe better. It's SPF 40 with PA++++ (that's the maximum Japanese UV-A rating). The texture alone makes you feel like you're investing in your skin.

But it's 1.7 ounces. And dermatologists say you need about a nickel-sized amount for your face daily. At that rate, a tube lasts about 3 weeks. That's roughly $660 per year on face sunscreen. Six hundred and sixty dollars. On sunscreen. For a face that, let's be honest, spends 8-10 hours a day staring at a monitor indoors.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch is $9 for 3 oz. It's SPF 55 — higher protection. It's been the dermatologist recommendation for decades. It doesn't feel as luxurious. There's a slight sunscreen smell. On very dark skin tones, there can be a faint white cast. But it blocks UV radiation — which is the only job of sunscreen — at a higher SPF for a fraction of the cost.

I still buy the Supergoop because I'm trapped in the luxury sunscreen cycle. But I know — I KNOW — the Neutrogena works just as well. The UV rays don't care if your sunscreen cost $38 or $9.