THE BESTSUN-SCREENS

Best by Lauren may earn a commission when you shop through certain links. Every product here was bought with my own money or tested for at least six weeks. No brand has paid to be included, and nothing is ranked higher because it pays more.

I live in the sun and I am not willing to look like it in ten years. That has meant an unglamorous amount of testing — applying two sunscreens to two halves of a face and photographing the result four hours later, on a boat, in front of people.

The winner costs eighteen dollars. I have made peace with this.

Why sunscreen pills, and how to stop it

Pilling is almost always a layering problem, not a sunscreen problem. A silicone-heavy primer under a water-based sunscreen will roll every time, no matter what you spend.

The fix that worked for me: let each layer dry properly — a full minute, not ten seconds — and press sunscreen in with flat hands instead of rubbing. Two habits, and the problem mostly disappeared.

How much you actually need

Two fingers’ worth for a face and neck, which is far more than looks reasonable and is the single most common mistake. Most people apply about a quarter of the tested amount and get about a quarter of the protection.

Reapply every two hours in real sun. On a boat, every ninety minutes — the reflection off water is brutal and I have the one bad sunburn of my adult life to prove it.