Ilia’s First Sunscreen Is Here, and It’s Already a Staple in Our Routines

07.04.2026, 14:13 allure.com

I doubt that Ilia—the collector of many Allure Best of Beauty and Readers’ Choice Awards—needs an introduction. A quick summary for those unfamiliar: The “clean beauty” brand has built its reputation on effortless, multitasking makeup for people who want to look like themselves (just slightly more hydrated, even-toned, and well-rested). Case in point: Ilia's beloved Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, which one Allure editor once described as making her look like she “drinks a gallon of water a day.”

So it feels less like a pivot and more like an inevitability that Ilia is finally coming out with its first standalone sunscreen, the Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. While some might still think of Ilia as a makeup brand first, loyalists have long seen it as skin-care-first. (Not exactly news if you’ve been following our Best of Beauty Awards, where we’ve already crowned skin-care standouts like the Bright Start Retinol Alternative Eye Cream and Lip Wrap Reviving Balm.) If anything, this just makes it official.

Ilia

Ilia

Sephora

First things first, this is a mineral sunscreen, featuring 10.5% zinc oxide—a notoriously tricky ingredient to make feel enjoyable to wear. And, at SPF 50, the challenge only gets steeper. (Higher protection typically means more zinc oxide, which often translates to thicker, chalkier formulas—and that heavy white cast no matter how hard you try to blend it out.) “The core challenge is that zinc oxide is a dense, white inorganic pigment that resists elegant aesthetics,” says Sherry Backman, a cosmetic chemist based in Brattleboro, Vermont. “To achieve a serum texture, formulators need to control particle size, dispersion, and the chemistry of the surrounding system, especially pH.”

The pH of a sunscreen might sound technical, but it comes down to balance. Zinc oxide works best when the formula sits in a middle, neutral range. “Too acidic or too basic, and you risk destabilizing the zinc oxide, which can impact everything from texture to SPF performance,” she says.

Courtesy of Ilia

All of which is to say, the texture is what got me first, a signal that the pH is where it should be. And I’m not the only one who noticed. “I am a longtime user of mineral sunscreen, and I have never experienced anything like this,” says Shanna Shipin, senior commerce director. “This is such an elegant formula that is so lightweight, it performs like a chemical sunscreen—I can hardly believe that there are mineral blockers in it.”

Sun Serum is fluid and serum-y, though not quite as runny as the Skin Tint Ilia fans know well. It glides on and blends without resistance—blindfold me, and I’d never guess it was sunscreen.

Close up video applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

On the skin-care front, Ilia focuses on lightweight but deep hydration. Hyaluronic acid (seven molecular weights, to be exact) is doing the bulk of the heavy lifting here—Backman notes it’s “primarily for hydration, but secondarily, it improves skin smoothness, film support and texture enhancement,” helping counter that dry feel mineral sunscreens can leave behind. The formula’s sugars add another layer by boosting moisture and supporting the skin barrier, while coneflower (echinacea) and arctic root extracts help regulate oil, so you’re not trading dryness for midday shine.

Importantly, none of this seems to compromise the formula’s stability. Because yes, adding humectants and plant extracts can interfere with zinc oxide if you’re not careful. “They can, especially if they shift pH or introduce electrolytes that destabilize the dispersion,” Backman says. “Well-formulated systems are structured to keep zinc oxide evenly distributed and stable.”

This, it seems, is one of those formulas that actually gets that mix right—at least from where I’m sitting. On my dry, sensitive skin, it felt impressively hydrating. It melted in seamlessly without catching on the flaky spots around my cheeks and nose, leaving everything looking more plump than parched. In this unpredictable transitional weather we’re experiencing on the East Coast right now, that feels like a minor miracle.

Lee applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Allure contributing writer Christa Joanna Lee before applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Lee after applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Then there’s the tint—available in two flexible shades, light-medium and medium-deep—which helps counteract the inevitable white cast. As Backman explains, “tinted skin-care products incorporate white, yellow, red, and black pigments blended in various ratios to achieve shades compatible with the lightest to darkest skin tones.” Those pigments (here, in the form of iron oxides) “help offset zinc oxide’s naturally chalky white base, so the formula blends in more seamlessly with skin,” she says.

Even though I’m pretty fair, I found the light-medium shade surprisingly spot-on. That said, I tend to prefer a slightly warmer finish with my tinted products, so I ended up mixing in a bit of the medium-deep—I found the sheerness of the tint makes it surprisingly flexible across skin tones.

The finish lands somewhere between natural and softly radiant—not matte, not super-dewy, just convincingly like a glowier second skin. Ilia has always lived in that in-between space: makeup that behaves like skin care, skin care that wears like makeup. Since introducing the Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen into my routine, my already minimalist approach has been humbled. It’s the ease and sun protection, sure, but also my skin has never looked better.

Ilia

Ilia

Sephora

With a whole team of editors who swear by multiple-times-daily sunscreen usage, everyone wanted to get their hands on this launch for testing. Keep reading for more reviews of the new Ilia Sun Serum from Allure editors.

Allure senior commerce director Shanna Shipin applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Shipin before applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Shipin after applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

“When Ilia named it 'Sun Serum,' I didn’t realize that on top of the SPF, it meant you’d have the kind of radiance found at the center of our solar system. I am a longtime user of mineral sunscreen, and I have never experienced anything like this. This is such an elegant formula that is so lightweight, it performs like a chemical sunscreen—I can hardly believe that there are mineral blockers in it.

It’s not milky, runny, or watery, which is a problem I have with most mineral facial sunscreens out on the market. I sit between the two shades available; I was concerned about the limited selection, but the sunscreen is so sheer that I can wear either one. I’ll be switching from light-medium to medium-deep as my skin tans throughout the year.

I opt for the ‘four-finger rule’ when applying sunscreen on outdoor days, and I find that the tint completely dissipates after rubbing it in for 20 seconds or so. Once it’s absorbed, my skin is perfectly primed for makeup, though the sunscreen’s lit-from-within effect shines through whether I’m bare-faced or wear makeup over it. (I know lit-from-within is an oft-used marketing term, but that’s actually what it looks like when I use this product!)

Another rare feat? A mineral sunscreen that doesn’t pill. I’ve been reaching for this product habitually every day (and actually reapplying throughout) in part due to this. One thing: The package feels lovely in the hand, and I love the nod to the sun in its shape, but it is a little puffy, and I imagine it will be hard to squeeze every last bit of the formula out when I get down to the final dregs. That being said, it’s super easy to squeeze the formula out of the pinpoint dispenser for now.

There's a real radiance that lasts all day when I use the Sun Serum Sunscreen. It’s the kind of product that flips your mentality and makes you want to use it not just because it gives you SPF 50, but because it makes your skin look absolutely brilliant.” —Shanna Shipin, senior commerce director

Allure creative producer Sydney Malone applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

“I have combination skin, so I am always wary of products that will either dry me out or make me appear too oily—I prefer a happy medium. This is especially true of sunscreens, because I have found that there are either mineral formulas that often leave an ashy appearance or sheer ones that are supposed to give a ‘glow’ but, in reality, make me look sweaty.

When I first squeezed this product out of the bottle, I was scared by the tone of brown that the product was because it seemed like it would be ashy. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it applied to my skin and settled. It felt like that perfect mix I look for, and honestly, it was the most impressed I’ve ever been with a facial sunscreen. I didn’t look sweaty; I didn’t look ashy. In fact, you almost couldn’t even tell it was on, which I loved.

It has a super natural finish, and I wore it for almost nine hours before I washed my face at night, and it never changed. It gave my holy grail sunscreen a run for its money.” —Sydney Malone, creative producer

Allure commerce editor Sarah Han applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Han before applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Han after applying the Ilia Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

“I’m a noted mineral sunscreen—hater is too strong a word, so I’ll say—skeptic. As someone who doesn’t have sensitive skin, I rarely stray away from elegant chemical formulas (particularly Korean sunscreens) just to try hit-or-miss mineral formulas. Still, as a beauty editor, it’s my job to try as much of the market as possible—or that my skin can handle. I’ve definitely found a handful of tolerable mineral formulas over the years, but the constant pilling (whether I’m wearing makeup or not), drying finishes, and white cast (even on my light Asian skin tone!) prove that the category still has room for