UV Clear is the gentler everyday sunscreen. Anthelios Ultra Light is the better pick for sweat, shine and deeper skin tones.
Both are 1.7 oz face sunscreens that dermatologists recommend constantly, but they’re built very differently. EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 is a hybrid: 9% zinc oxide plus 7.5% octinoxate, with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid in a fragrance-free, oil-free base made for acne-prone and sensitive skin. Anthelios Ultra Light SPF 60 is all chemical filters (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene) in a thin, alcohol-based fluid that dries matte, leaves no cast and is water resistant for 80 minutes.
There’s a third option here too: La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 fluid, which uses only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Pick it if you want mineral filters and nothing else. Between the main two, the question is simple: do you need gentle and calming, or sweat-proof and invisible?
Which sunscreen fits your skin
SPF 60 vs. SPF 46: a smaller gap than it looks
SPF measures protection from UVB, the rays that burn. SPF 46 lets through about 1/46 of them and SPF 60 about 1/60, so on paper the gap is about half a percentage point. All three sunscreens here are labeled broad spectrum, which means they also pass the FDA's UVA test.
Most people apply far less sunscreen than the amount used in SPF testing. A sunscreen you like enough to apply generously and reapply will protect you better than a higher number you skimp on.
Here is where the three actually differ:
- Filters: UV Clear mixes zinc oxide with octinoxate. Anthelios Ultra Light is all chemical filters. Anthelios Mineral is zinc oxide and titanium dioxide only.
- Water resistance: Ultra Light is water resistant for 80 minutes and Anthelios Mineral for 40. UV Clear isn't water resistant, so it's a daily-wear sunscreen, not a beach one.
- Skin-care extras: UV Clear adds niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate. The Anthelios fluids add antioxidants (senna alata extract, vitamin E) but nothing aimed at breakouts or redness.
- White cast: Ultra Light leaves none. The two zinc formulas can show on deeper skin, the all-mineral one more so.
If you swim, sweat or spend the day outdoors, the water-resistant Anthelios fluids are the better tools. For a workday face under makeup, UV Clear's gentler formula is the better fit.
EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46: the gentle daily pick
Zinc hybrid with niacinamide for sensitive skin.
UV Clear pairs 9% zinc oxide with 7.5% octinoxate. The zinc covers UVA and UVB; the octinoxate adds UVB protection, which keeps the zinc low enough that the formula rubs in without a heavy white layer.
Niacinamide is the third ingredient, right after water and a silicone. It’s a well-studied calming ingredient that helps with redness and breakouts, which is why this sunscreen is such a common pick for acne-prone and rosacea-prone skin. Sodium hyaluronate adds a little hydration. It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, paraben-free and noncomedogenic.
Two trade-offs: it isn’t water resistant, so it’s for daily wear rather than the pool, and it costs the most per ounce of the three. If you avoid octinoxate, skip it.
- 9% zinc oxide plus niacinamide in one step
- Oil-free, fragrance-free and noncomedogenic
- Made for acne-prone and sensitive skin
- Not water resistant
- Contains octinoxate, a chemical filter
- Costs the most per ounce of the three
Anthelios Ultra Light SPF 60: invisible, matte and sweat-ready
Matte, water-resistant SPF 60 with no cast.
This is an all-chemical sunscreen: 3% avobenzone with homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene. Chemical filters form a clear film instead of sitting on your skin as white particles, so it leaves no cast on any skin tone. There’s no oxybenzone or octinoxate.
The base is water, silicones and denatured alcohol, then silica. That’s why it feels so thin, dries fast and finishes matte, and it holds up through 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. Senna alata leaf extract and vitamin E add antioxidant support. It’s fragrance-free and noncomedogenic.
The alcohol is the catch. It helps oily skin stay matte, but it can sting dry, irritated or freshly exfoliated skin.
- SPF 60 with no white cast on any skin tone
- Water resistant for 80 minutes
- Dries matte, which suits oily skin
- Costs less than UV Clear
- Denatured alcohol high in the list can sting dry or irritated skin
- All chemical filters
- No niacinamide or other skin-care extras
Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 Fluid: the mineral-only option
Mineral-only SPF 50 with a matte finish.
If you want zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as your only filters, this is the one. It uses 6% titanium dioxide and 5% zinc oxide in a silicone-heavy fluid, with dimethicone and isododecane near the top of the list, so it spreads thin and dries matte.
It’s water resistant for 40 minutes and labeled fragrance-free, oil-free and noncomedogenic. It also costs less than UV Clear for the same 1.7 oz.
The trade-off is cast. Eleven percent mineral filters show more than UV Clear’s 9% zinc, and on medium to deep skin tones it can leave a white tint.
- Mineral-only filters: 6% titanium dioxide, 5% zinc oxide
- Dries matte
- Water resistant for 40 minutes
- Costs less than UV Clear
- Can leave a white cast on medium to deep skin
- No niacinamide or other calming extras
| Gentle zinc hybrid EltaMD UV Clear Oil-Free Zinc Face Sunscreen | VS | All-chemical SPF 60 La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light SPF 60 Fluid |
|---|---|---|
9% zinc oxide + 7.5% octinoxate | UV filters |
3% avobenzone + homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene |
46 | SPF |
60 |
None | Water resistance |
80 minutes |
Niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate | Skin-care extras |
Senna alata extract, vitamin E |
None | Drying alcohol |
Denatured alcohol, high in the list |
Low; can show on deep skin | White cast |
None |
Acne-prone, sensitive skin | Best for |
Oily skin, sweat, deeper skin tones |
| View | View |
One sensible setup: UV Clear for workdays under makeup, Anthelios Ultra Light for weekends outside. Only the La Roche-Posay fluids are water resistant, so they’re the ones to grab for the pool, a hike or a game.
Whichever you use, apply about a half teaspoon to your face and neck, and reapply every two hours when you’re outdoors. If your skin stays red, bumpy or broken out even on gentle products, see a dermatologist.
- Acne-prone, sensitive or redness-prone skin: EltaMD UV Clear.
- Oily skin, deeper skin tones, swimming or sweating: Anthelios Ultra Light SPF 60. Mineral filters only: Anthelios Mineral SPF 50.
Choose EltaMD UV Clear if your skin breaks out or turns red easily. Its 9% zinc oxide and niacinamide sit in a fragrance-free, oil-free base, and it is the gentlest of the three for everyday wear. It costs the most and isn’t water resistant.
Choose Anthelios Ultra Light SPF 60 if your skin is oily, your skin tone is deeper, or your day involves water or sweat. It leaves no cast, dries matte, stays on for 80 minutes of swimming or sweating, and costs less. Skip it if alcohol stings your skin.
Choose Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 if you want mineral filters only and can live with a little cast.
