
Take it from a Floridian: You don’t want to mess around with the sun. Even a shady day can seem deceptively safe and cause permanent damage to your skin. If you’re fair-skinned, sunscreen should be your best friend. Here are several types of sunscreen we’ve found work great in the hot, blazing sun.

Blends Right In
This sunscreen has won our admiration because it helps maintain healthy-looking skin. It’s oil-free, making it ideal for sensitive skin types prone to acne and discoloration. It’s mineral-based, lightweight, and silky to the touch. It’s also free from fragrance and parabens. It offers antioxidant protection and fights off UVA and UVB rays.
Buy: Elta MD sunscreen

Absorbs Quickly
This oil- and paraben-free sunscreen from La Roche-Posay is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. It’s trusted by dermatologists for its broad-spectrum protection for the face and body. It offers UVA and UVB protection and is fast absorbing.
Buy: La Roche-Posay

Iconic scent
What’s not to like about this SPF 50 sunscreen from Sun Bum? It’s vegan- and reef-friendly, which is increasingly a required quality when traveling and swimming in the Caribbean. Like many of its competitors, it fights UVA and UVB rays and lasts in the water for up to 80 minutes.
Buy: Sun Bum spray

For Active Kids
Trying to wrangle kids and hold them in place long enough to apply sunscreen is one of the great all-time sporting challenges. Thankfully, this sunscreen stick from Neutrogena can be applied to wet and dry skin alike so if you couldn’t catch them before their cannonballs into the pool, there’s still hope. It has an SPF of 70 for ultimate protection.
Buy: Neutrogena Wet Skin

Good Value
Years ago, I was a high school and youth football referee, a hobby that required me to bake in the sun for up to 8 hours a day. My only defenses were an unlimited supply of ice-cold Gatorade and this sweat-proof Coppertone Sport sunscreen spray. They both worked like a charm. Unlike some sunscreens, Coppertone Sport doesn’t go on as a thick coat, so your skin can still breathe and you’ll feel cooler in hot temperatures. It still provides all the protection you need and is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. It’s great for a day at the beach, the tennis courts or the golf course.
Buy: Coppertone Sport
Steve Spears is editor of Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. He is based in Orlando and counts St. Augustine, Key West and the Gulf Beaches among his favorite destinations in the state.