Best SPF 50 sun cream for 2025 that doesn’t ruin white summer clothes

For years I’ve been trying to find a high-factor sunscreen that won’t stain my white summer outfits, and I think I’ve finally found the best SPF 50 for that

Every summer for years, friends and family have heard me moan about how frustrating I find it to have all my light-colored swimwear and holiday clothes ruined by sun cream stains.

As someone who’s very fair-skinned, I need to wear a high factor sunscreen constantly when I’m in the sun, but I’m sick of it staining my favorite items of clothing. I’ve tried all these laundry tricks, with varying degrees of success, but still some of my summer clothing has permanent unsightly yellow marks around their edges.

I took to the internet for recommendations, and along the way learned that a lot of people thought that certain sunscreen ingredients were the main reason for this – namely avobenzone, oxybenzone and octocrylene – as they react to certain minerals in the water when washed, effectively causing ‘rust’ stains.

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Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find a formula that doesn’t contain any of these. However, Ultra Violette Extreme Screen SPF 50+ Hydrating Body and Hand SKINSCREEN body sunscreen, £27, came highly recommended on several forums for not staining clothes, so I put it to the test on a recent weekend away to Spain.

It’s incredibly nourishing on the skin yet non-greasy, like a really good body lotion (in fact, this is how Ultra Violette advises that you use it: every day, like a body lotion). It smells amazingsinks in really quickly and doesn’t feel greasy, but leaves skin feeling super soft. It does have a very slight shimmer to it, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

This Australian brand makes some of the very best sun care (our whole team is also obsessed with Ultra Violette’s Future Fluid SPF50+ Superlight Mineral Skinscreen£37), and this was no exception. I was walking around in full sun for hours during the day and couldn’t do a full sun cream top-up – although I did lightly mist over with Garnier Ambre Solaire Over Makeup Mist SPF50+now £8.67 – and I didn’t turn pink at all, even in my more sensitive areas.

The real test, however, came when I got home and put my white clothes in the wash. Before they went into the machine they did have a few marks – mainly from fake tan, I think – but once washed (on just a normal cycle), there were hardly any marks at all; perhaps a very very slight discoloration in some areas, but nothing like the bright yellow stains I’m usually left with after using my usual SPFs.

I usually leave any half-empty bottles of sun cream behind in my hotel room, but I liked this one so much that I brought it back home to use up every last drop.

My next step will be to try fully mineral sunscreens, which use sun filters such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and which some say results in less long-term staining. The downside to mineral SPFs is that they’re usually thicker and whiter, and ones for the body can be hard to come by, but I’ll next be trying Coola Mineral Spray SPF30 Unscentednow £24.80, and Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Mineral Body Lotionnow £7.99.

Ultra Violette Extreme Screen SPF 50+ Hydrating Body and Hand SKINSCREEN

A super-nourishing, non-greasy body lotion with SPF 50 and a hint of shimmer.

Very nourishing and hydrating, like a good body lotion; smells amazing; leaves a hint of shimmer on the skin; very reliable sun protection; a lot less likely to stain clothes than some other sun creams

Not everyone will like the shimmer; the small-ish tube wouldn’t last long on holiday