Setting sprays are a godsend in the summer months when the warmer weather threatens to have your foundation melting down your face by noon. But they can also be a great way to add some extra sun protection to your routine, regardless of the season. The best SPF setting sprays will still help to lock your makeup in place, but they’ll also be formulated with broad-spectrum SPF 30 (or higher) to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. Depending on your skin type and personal preference, you can opt for a setting spray that gives your makeup a matte or dewy finish. All you need to do to get that SPF boost is give your setting spray a good shake before thoroughly misting it over your skin (holding the bottle about 10 inches away from your face).
Most setting sprays with SPF contain chemical sun filters (like avobenzone, homosalate, and octisalate), which are absorbed by your skin and are therefore less likely to leave behind any white cast over your makeup. You’ll also find one option on this list that contains physical sun blockers (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), which sit on top of your skin and deflect the sun’s harmful rays. Also known as mineral sunscreens, these ingredients tend to leave a white cast behind, but they’re also better tolerated by sensitive skin types (and they’ve been deemed more environmentally friendly).
Because most setting sprays are alcohol-based to help your makeup adhere to your skin (think of them like a hairspray for your face), you’ll also want to consider the other ingredients in the formula. If you have skin that’s sensitive or dry, look for hydrators and humectants like hyaluronic acid, sunflower seed oil, and glycerin, or even calming ingredients like aloe leaf extract, cucumber fruit extract, and bisabolol. People with oily skin, on the other hand, might prefer a setting spray with a mattifying ingredient like silica.
Shop The Best SPF Setting Sprays
In a hurry? Here are the best SPF setting sprays:
- Best Mattifying Setting Spray With SPF: Kate Somerville UncompliKated SPF 50 Setting Spray
- Best Dewy Setting Spray With SPF: Milani Make It Last Sunscreen Setting Spray SPF 30
- Best SPF Setting Spray With Vitamin C: Pacifica Beauty Set & Protect Matte Sheer Setting Mist SPF 45
- Best Hydrating Setting Spray With SPF: COOLA Makeup Setting Sunscreen Spray
- Best Mini SPF Setting Spray: Supergoop! (Re)setting Refreshing Mist SPF 40
- Best Tinted Setting Spray With SPF: Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex
1. Best Mattifying Setting Spray With SPF
Oily skin types may prefer a mattifying setting spray, like Kate Somerville’s UncompliKated SPF 50 Makeup Setting Spray, to prevent shine from messing with your makeup. While silica helps to absorb excess oil, broad-spectrum SPF 50 adds protection from the sun’s UV rays. Because this is an alcohol-based setting spray, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid has been included in the formula for its moisturizing benefits, while antioxidant-rich rhodiola rosea root extract provides additional protection from UV radiation and pollution, according to the brand.
SPF Level: 50 Finish: Matte Sunscreen Type: Chemical Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Silica Size: 3.4 oz.
Relevant Review: “Bought for SPF…didn’t expect the amazing makeup setting quality of it! 10/10.”
2. Best Dewy Setting Spray With SPF
Considering that it’s recommended to apply half a teaspoon of sunscreen to your face and neck, if you’re diligent about applying and reapplying your SPF, you can expect to go through a standard-sized setting spray pretty quickly. Milani’s Make It Last Sunscreen Setting Spray gives you an effective way to set your makeup and add sun protection at a drugstore price, so you don’t have to feel guilty about restocking regularly. The dewy-finish spray is formulated with SPF 30, plus, it’s cruelty-free and vegan.
SPF Level: 30 Finish: Dewy Sunscreen Type: Chemical Key Ingredients: Tropaeolum Majus Flower Extract Size: 2 oz.
Relevant Review: “I bought this before a trip to the beach because I wanted something with SPF I could spray on my pale, sensitive face (and if it happened to also help my makeup stay, even better!). I was beyond impressed with how well this setting spray works; my makeup still looked great even after hours walking around the beach underneath the California sun. It felt very light on face and dried quickly.”
3. Best SPF Setting Spray With Vitamin C
Another drugstore option, Pacifica Beauty’s Set & Protect Matte Sheer Setting Mist gives you the benefits of both vitamin C and SPF 45. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that’s popular for its ability to help improve your skin’s tone and texture while also providing additional protection against skin damage caused by environmental stressors (like pollution). For more antioxidant protection and hydration, the setting spray includes a mix of sunflower seed oil, algae and seaweed extracts, and glycerin. Even with those moisturizing ingredients, the setting spray still gives your makeup a matte finish, while a citrusy fragrance offers a refreshing boost as you spritz it on throughout the day.
SPF Level: 45 Finish: Matte Sunscreen Type: Chemical Key Ingredients: Silica, Coconut Alkanes, Vitamin C, Algae Extract, Seaweed Extract, Sunflower Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Glycerin, Bisabolol Size: 4 oz.
Relevant Review: “This is the best sunscreen spray I’ve ever tried! It smells good, isn’t greasy and I feel so much better being able to reapply sunscreen throughout the day without disturbing my makeup. I’d recommend this to anybody and I’m definitely going to buy it again when I run out.”
4. Best Hydrating Setting Spray With SPF
There are more than 1,000 five-star ratings on Amazon for COOLA’s multi-tasking Makeup Setting Sunscreen Spray. Though it leaves you with a shine-free, matte finish, the SPF-infused setting spray includes a blend of hydrating and soothing ingredients like aloe leaf extract, cucumber fruit extract, and hyaluronic acid to counteract any drying effects from the alcohol-based formula. The makeup setting mist is cruelty-free and vegan, and 70% of its ingredients are certified organic.
SPF Level: 30 Finish: Matte Sunscreen Type: Chemical Key Ingredients: Aloe Leaf Extract, Algae Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Sunflower Seed Oil, Silica, Hyaluronic Acid Size: 1.5 oz.
Relevant Review: “I love this product for those hot days when sweating is inevitable. Holds makeup in place, includes SPF and is so refreshing when you spray it on. And you can carry it on a plane.”
5. Best Mini SPF Setting Spray
For a travel-friendly option that will fit into your smallest handbag or cosmetics pouch, try this Supergoop! (Re)setting Refreshing Mist SPF 40. Housed in a tiny, 1-ounce bottle, the mini spray delivers a fine mist for even application, and it’s infused with bisabolol for its skin-calming benefits. To keep your makeup matte throughout the day, the setting spray uses silica silylate to absorb excess oil and a water-soluble polymer to extend the longevity of your makeup.
SPF Level: 40 Finish: Matte Sunscreen Type: Chemical Key Ingredients: Bisabolol, Silica Size: 1 oz.
Relevant Review: “Perfect size to keep in your bag. Easy to reapply, no mirror or rubbing in needed.”
6. Best Tinted Setting Spray With SPF
Unlike the other SPF setting sprays on this list, Colorescience’s Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex uses the physical sunscreen zinc oxide, making it a more sensitive skin-friendly formula. To prevent a white cast from being left behind from the mineral sunscreen, the setting spray uses encapsulated pigments that adjust to your skin tone, and it’s available in four shades that range from fair to deep. Though it was designed to be applied under makeup or as a replacement for your usual foundation, several Amazon reviewers note that it works well over makeup, too. As beneficial for acne-prone skin types as it is for those with sensitive skin, the setting spray is noncomedogenic, oil-free, hypoallergenic, and fragrance-free. It’s also formulated with multiple hydrating and skin-soothing ingredients, including niacinamide, silver ear mushroom extract, and bisabolol.
Available Shades: 4 SPF Level: 50 Finish: Natural Sunscreen Type: Mineral Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, Bisabolol, Silver Ear Mushroom Extract, Allantoin, Silica, Sunflower Sprout Extract Size: 1.8 oz.
Relevant Review: “I am in love with this product. It protects, moisturizes, and tints my face to look flawless. Helps my makeup really set too. Never using anything else.”
