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If you’ve already picked up one of the best new perfumes for summer or dabbled in the pineapple or beachy fragrance trend, there’s just one more product you need to try this season: scented sunscreen. The best-smelling sunscreens now rival luxury perfumes, with scents far more sophisticated than coconut (though we love a tropical moment, too).
To find the sunscreens that smell the absolute best, we polled fragrance experts, dermatologists, and sunscreen users all across the internet and took home bottle after bottle to test ourselves. Whether you’re looking for a great mineral sunscreen to throw in your beach bag or a body spray that will have people asking, “What are you wearing?” we’ve broken down the best sunscreen for your upcoming summer vacation, ahead.
Best Overall
Vacation Classic Lotion SPF 50
While fragrance is an afterthought for most sunscreen brands, Vacation made it a calling card with the tagline: “The World’s Best-Smelling Sunscreen.” While some fans are partial to the brand’s Orange Gelée, which smells identical to the tanning oil from the ’80s but with SPF protection, or the Classic Whip sunscreen (a sunscreen foam), the hero is undoubtedly is the Classic Lotion SPF 50. It features a lightweight formula, an easy-squeeze tube, and a nostalgic banana-coconut scent.
Fragrance notes: Coconut, banana, pool water, and swimsuit Lycra
One reviewer writes: “The sunscreen [smells] like being at a pool party in 1999. I love the scent so much, and the sunscreen seems to work very well.” —Mary
Scented Body Spray
Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF 50 Body Spray
Sol de Janeiro’s tropical-scented SPF body mists and lotions are beloved. The Rio Radiance SPF 50 Body Spray combines an intoxicating sweet and fruity fragrance with serious sun protection, leaving behind a glowy finish that makes your arms and legs look incredible. It’s on track to be the most viral sunscreen of summer.
Fragrance notes: Vanilla, coconut, mango
One reviewer writes: “It smells amazing—my favorite scent. It makes me want to use sunscreen [to] protect my skin and smell good at the same time.” —Chantal
For Dry Skin
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Dew Shield SPF 30
With glycerin, watermelon seed oil, and vitamin E, this hydrating face sunscreen is the perfect option for dry skin and to layer under makeup. The fruity, sweet scent will be familiar if you use the brand’s other watermelon products.
Fragrance notes: fruity watermelon
One reviewer writes: “I love this soooo much! I have balanced/combo skin and this makes my face feel glowy and hydrated without looking like an oil queen. The texture is a light fluffy cream that’s slightly milky and smells like the normal glow recipe watermelon scent. It gently perfects my skin so it looks more radiant and even than before. The only downside was that’s it’s kind of heavy for me so I’ll probably use less moisturizer before.” —eviieeee
Face Mist
Isle of Paradise Daily Defense Face Mist SPF 50 Sunscreen
This is part sunscreen, part makeup setting-mist. It’s perfect for carrying in your bag for SPF reapplication throughout the day, without messing up your makeup. The scent is described as sweet, beachy, and tropical, although it can be a bit overpowering when worn on the face.
Fragrance notes: sweet beachy scent
One reviewer writes: “I love the size and the practicality. It’s perfect when you travel, it will fit in your purse. The application is easy and seamless. It provides an even shimmery layer. I’ve combination skin and it feels a little greasy for my face. It also has fragrance, it smells like a sweet beach vacation. I applied over my makeup and it worked nicely.”—tresargelie
Scented Body Oil
Supergoop! Glow Oil SPF 50 Body Oil with Coconut, Vanilla & Fig
Supergoop’s glow-boosting SPF 50 body oil formula is now available in a new, limited-edition scent perfect for summer, featuring notes of coconut, vanilla, and fig.
Fragrance notes: coconut, vanilla, fig
One reviewer writes: “This Scented Glow Oil is perfect for the summer! I am going to take it with me to the beach and pool. It protects and nourishes my skin. I love my glowing skin. I really like the scent too! I recommend it!” —Joan607
Scented Body Spray
Skylar Scent Sunscreen Mist Boardwalk Delight SPF 30
Scent is not an afterthought in Skylar’s Sunscreen Mist formula in the scent Boardwalk Delight. Instead, it’s a true hybrid between fragrance and skin protection, with notes that evoke nostalgic feelings of summertime snacks, such as sorbet, cotton candy, and fruit.
Fragrance notes: aquatic accord, watery apple, juicy raspberry sorbet, water lily, guava flower, coconut milk, cotton candy, vanilla, solar Amber, musk
Scented Scalp SPF
Coola Scalp & Hair Mist SPF 30
If you’re outside without a hat, applying sunscreen to your scalp and hairline is essential to shield that highly vulnerable skin from UV rays. This scented formula is the best scalp sunscreen, hands (and hair) down. It’s verifiably lightweight, easy to apply with a fine mist, and smells faintly of salt and sage, making it the best-smelling option to boot.
Fragrance notes: Salt, sage, ocean, and woods
One reviewer writes: “This sunscreen is my signature scent! I use it on my ears. It’s small enough to carry in my purse and the fine spray is perfect. I won’t ever go without it again.” —Kim
Best Value
Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Ultra Radiance Lotion Sunscreen
The Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Radiance Lotion is a great deal at less than $15 a bottle at most drugstores. The formula is light and non-greasy, with a barely-there shimmer that reviewers love. It’s also oxybenzone-free and reef-safe to boot. But the primary reason people keep coming back to it—and why your mom stocks up before vacation—is that recognizable yet subtle coconut and floral fragrance that smells like summer.
Fragrance notes: Coconut, floral
One reviewer writes: “This sunscreen allows me to enjoy the sun in Hawaii without painful burns. I continue to use for protection at home in the summer because I love the fragrance and the comfortable feel of the sunscreen. It’s not greasy and feels like a fine body lotion.” —Julie
Best Daily Face SPF
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 36
Fans rave about this award-winning Innisfree sunscreen for the glowy finish it gives the skin, leaving it protected and radiant throughout the day. The scent—a faint blend of citrus and tea tree—is very subtle (actually imperceptible to some), but many fans say it enhances their experience.
Fragrance notes: Lemon, tea tree
One reviewer writes: “I’ve repurchased this many times. It just feels like a moisturizer — no greasy or sticky feeling. My favorite thing about it is the scent. It has a tea tree scent that is very calming in the morning.” —Haley
Scented Mineral Body Lotion
Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen Mineral Lotion
If you’re looking for a good SPF 70 mineral sunscreen option for your body, you’ll find it in this lotion from Australian Gold. It has a subtle citrus scent that’s noticeable upon initial application, which fades, leaving a pleasant but not overpowering fragrance.
Fragrance notes: Citrus
One reviewer writes: “This is my favorite sunscreen of all time. It doesn’t leave my skin with a heavy, greasy feel like every other body sunscreen I’ve tried. It has a nice scent, but it doesn’t last long, which I love; Even if the scent is nice, I don’t want to smell like sunscreen all day. This product is perfect. I was very pleasantly surprised by it, and it will be my go-to forever.” —Rachel
No White Cast
Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Hybrid Broad Spectrum SPF 50
Two-in-one products always give us pause, but this one from Black Girl Sunscreen is a hybrid formula we can get behind. The lightweight mineral formula is specifically designed for Black skin, so you know there won’t be a white cast. The barely there scent is all-natural and comes from lavender oil, which soothes any healing breakouts or skin irritation.
Fragrance notes: Lavender
One reviewer writes: “I love this I took it on vacation down in Florida. It smells so beautiful! I took it to the pool with me at the resort and somebody stole it while I was in the pool, smh. I’ll be ordering another one soon.” —Lila
Scented SPF Moisturizer
Fenty Beauty Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad-Spectrum SPF 30
Of course, Rihanna has one of the best-smelling sunscreens on the market—she famously smells incredible. Hydra Vizor is great if you’re looking for a moisturizing daily sunscreen with a fruity scent that could be its own perfume.
Fragrance notes: Melon
One reviewer writes: “The texture, the smell, the glowy finish. Love it, my new favorite sunscreen for my face.” —Elizabeth
Meet the Experts:
Is Scented Sunscreen Safe for Sensitive Skin?
Those with skin sensitivities should be wary of heavily scented sunscreens. “Fragrances are one of the most common contact allergens on the skin that can lead to irritation and worsen inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema,” explains Song. Therefore, fragrance-free formulas are safer and recommended. However, if you prefer a scented sunscreen, “opt for soothing natural scents, such as aloe vera,” Song recommends.
Is Using a Scented Sunscreen Better At the Beach Than Perfume?
Generally, yes. If you’re spending the day at the beach, it’s best to skip the perfume. “I never recommend putting perfume directly onto your skin after or before sunscreen is applied,” says Sydney. “It’s important to remember that the ingredients in some perfumes can manipulate the effectiveness of UV-blocking sunscreen ingredients.” Therefore, it pays to choose a sunscreen with a scent that you enjoy wearing all day.
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