Lightweight Sunscreens To Go With Your Hot Girl Summer In 2025
Time to get protected from the sun.
Let’s be real: wearing sunscreen in Singapore’s sweltering heat can feel like adding a sticky extra layer to skin that’s already fighting for its life. But skipping SPF? Not an option - not when sun exposure (UV radiation) is the most significant external or extrinsic factor in skin ageing, as opposed to intrinsic (biological, age-related) factors like genetics or hormonal changes, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Are sunscreen sprays effective?
They can be — if you use them right. Spray sunscreens are super convenient (hello, beach days and back-of-neck emergencies), but they need a generous, even coating to actually work. That means spraying until your skin glistens and then rubbing it in to make sure you didn’t miss a spot. Oh, and don’t rely on spraying mid-air and walking through it — you’re not Beyonce on tour. Reapply every two hours, just like you would with more conventional sunscreens.
Can sunscreen expire?
Yes, and it matters more than you think. Most sunscreens have a shelf life of about three years, but if your bottle’s been parked in a hot car or beach bag all summer, that SPF protection might’ve already broken down by the exposure to high temperatures. Check the expiry date (usually stamped on the tube), and toss anything that smells off, separates, or feels weird in texture. Expired sunscreen = way less protection = not worth the risk.
Whether you’re commuting, cafe-hopping, or power-walking to the MRT, daily sun protection is your skin barrier’s BFF — and the key to keeping fine lines, dark spots, and sun damage at bay. The trick? Finding lightweight, breathable sunscreens that don’t feel like you’re melting under a UV blanket. Here, some of the latest launches to slather all over your face (and body, if you're outdoors a lot) now:
1. The Ordinary UV Filters SPF 45 Serum, $34 for 60ml
After stepping back from the SPF game in 2023, The Ordinary is making a serious comeback - and this time, it’s all about that serum texture. Their new UV Filters SPF 45 Serum is a lightweight, non-greasy, white-cast-free sunscreen powered by FDA-approved chemical filters for broad-spectrum UVA + UVB protection. It’s a big glow-up from the brand’s discontinued 2018 mineral SPF (RIP), which users found too thick and chalky.
This new formula taps into the booming serum sunscreen trend and delivers skincare benefits too; it hydrates, supports the skin barrier, and plays nice under makeup. With SPF 45 that feels like a serum and works like serious protection, it’s designed for all skin types (yes, even sensitive), and finally gives us what we’ve been waiting for: an everyday SPF you’ll actually want to wear.
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2. Shiseido Perfect Sun Protector Lotion, $70 for 50ml
Shiseido’s cult-fave sunscreen just got a major summer glow-up. Their newly upgraded Perfect Sun Protector uses the brand's proprietary SynchroShieldRepair Technology - a clever formula that actually gets stronger when you sweat, swim, or step into the heat; instead of melting off, it reinforces your UV protection. Packed with skin-soothing glycyrrhizic acid and a moisture-boosting algae complex, this sunscreen doubles as skincare, leaving you glowy but never greasy.
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3. Paula’s Choice 5% Vitamin C Sheer Moisturizer SPF 50, $65 for 60ml
If you're a lazy girlie, this multitasking SPF 50 simplifies things by covering all your bases - sun protection, hydration, and skin-brightening - in one lightweight layer. It features a five per cent vitamin C complex made up of ascorbyl glucoside, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate — three highly stable forms of vitamin C that's said to have the ability to brighten skin, even tone, and give your sunscreen a serious boost. There’s also acetyl zingerone (a ginger-derived antioxidant) to help reduce discolouration, and algae-derived amino acids to strengthen your skin barrier while helping it cope with environmental stress.
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4. Ultra Violette Future Fluid Lightweight Zinc Skinscreen SPF 50+, $56 for 50ml
Mineral sunscreen, but make it actually wearable. Ultra Violette’s Future Fluid is a silky, sheer SPF 50+ that uses Japanese zinc oxide - the most advanced mineral UV filter out there - to ditch the chalky texture and white cast for good (yes, even on deeper skin tones). It’s fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and made in Australia (so you know it can handle serious sun exposure).
The formula is loaded with squalane, vitamin E, and Pentavitin (a powerful plant-based hydrator that reportedly keeps skin moisturised for up to 72 hours) to calm, hydrate, and support your barrier all day long. Designed for oily, combo, and sensitive skin, this mineral SPF glides on like a dream, absorbs fast, and leaves a natural, skin-perfecting finish. If mineral sunscreen has ever let you down before, this might be the one that changes your mind.
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5. KraveBeauty Beet The Sun Lightweight Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++, $35 for 50ml
Well-respected skincare influencer Liah Yoo founded KraveBeauty to cut through the clutter with gentle, effective products designed to restore your skin barrier. Now, their viral Beet the Sun SPF 50+ PA++++ is finally available in Southeast Asia - it's a lightweight chemical sunscreen that blends seamlessly, leaves no white cast, and offers broad-spectrum UV protection. Supercharged with three per cent upcycled Beetroot Extract, a powerful antioxidant, plus hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing oat extracts, this sunscreen is said to shield your skin from sun damage and environmental stress while keeping it dewy and hydrated for up to 24 hours.
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6. La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Fluid SPF50+ PA++++, $54.90 for 50ml
La Roche-Posay is famed for its highly efficacious and popular Anthelios range of sunscreens and it just got even better. Touted as the brand’s most advanced sunscreen yet, this sunscreen is powered by Mexoryl 400, a brand-new UV filter. Why the hype? Because Mexoryl 400 targets protection against ultra-long UVA rays—the deepest-penetrating, most DNA-damaging part of the UV spectrum that most filters can’t fully block. FYI, UV filters are time-consuming innovations and usually take many years to formulate (and get approval from the relevant authorities), so this is a big deal.
Said to be water-, sweat-, and sand-resistant, this fluid is built for those days where you need ultra-powerful protection. The texture? Ultra-light, non-greasy, no white cast, and fragrance-free. It sinks in fast, layers perfectly under makeup, and doesn’t sting your eyes. You also get the brand's proprietary Netlock technology for invisible yet super-strong coverage, and XL-Protect to fend off UV, pollution, and infrared damage.
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7. Sekkisei UV Defense Essence Mist, $20 for 60ml
If you’ve ever skipped reapplying sunscreen because you didn’t want to mess up your makeup or deal with sticky hands, Sekkisei's new sunscreen mist is about to become your new BFF. This Japanese brand (famous for mixing ancient herbal wisdom with modern skincare science) has taken their cult-fave UV line and turned it into a spray you can just spritz onto your face anytime, anywhere.
What’s the secret sauce? Three types of Job’s tears - no, not some weird flower, but a traditional East Asian grain packed with skin-loving powers like deep hydration, inflammation calm-down, and melanin control for that glow-up without the dullness. Toss in other botanical goodies like rose myrtle and peony bark, and you get legitimate protection against UV damage that also keeps your skin fresh and radiant.
Plus, the mist’s clever two-layer formula—an oil-and-water mix you shake up before spraying—delivers powerful UV protection without feeling greasy or heavy. The water-based layer hydrates, while the oil layer helps lock in the sunscreen, so your skin stays dewy, makeup stays put, and the whole thing feels light as air.
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