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Mineral-based options to use on your face and body.

The need for sun protection doesn’t go away when you're pregnant. It's important to do everything you can to prevent UV rays from harming your skin. Fortunately, choosing a pregnancy-safe sunscreen isn’t hard. While there are certain ingredients in cosmetics you should avoid when you’re pregnant (like retinol), there’s not much in sunscreens that’s off limits.

Yes! “Sunscreen is generally regarded as very safe and effective in protecting against skin cancer,” says Steven Q. Wang, M.D., chair of The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Photobiology Committee and Chief of Dermatologic Oncology & Dermatologic Surgery at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California.

It’s understandable that people who are pregnant may be more cautious about what they put in and on their bodies. “I think for anyone who is concerned, especially about the organic sunscreens that have systemic absorption, the recommendation is a using mineral sunscreen,” says Dr. Wang. “That includes titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.”

When it comes to the delivery method, lotion, cream, liquid and gel sunscreens are all safe to use while pregnant, according to explains Valencia Thomas, M.D., a professor of dermatology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “As long as the individual is careful not to inhale sunscreen sprays during application, sprays may be used during pregnancy,” she adds.

Sunscreen is a great help for protecting your body from harmful UV rays, but it’s just one part of a comprehensive approach. Dr. Thomas recommends avoiding the sun during peak hours (usually 12 to 4 p.m.), wearing sun-protective clothing and seeking shade to prevent skin cancer. It's also important to schedule your annual skin cancer screening. “For individuals who have a history of skin cancer, especially melanoma, they should not forgo their annual exam,” Dr. Wang says. If you see something abnormal, schedule a visit with your dermatologist because they can follow pregnancy-specific guidelines to ensure safe care.

Below, top dermatologists answer your biggest questions around sunscreen that’s safe to use during pregnancy. We also have a list of the best sunscreens to use during pregnancy, according to the Good Housekeeping Institute. However, it's important to note that the best sunscreen is actually one you'll use every day. Remember, skin cancer is a known risk of exposing yourself to UV rays, but there are no proven risks to using sunscreens that are currently sold in the U.S.

Unlike most mineral sunscreens, this one from Hawaiian Tropic doesn’t leave behind a lot of white residue — it was the least likely to stain clothing or furniture of all the mineral ones the Good Housekeeping Institute tried. Testers loved the light, beachy fragrance and the easy-to-use pump. “Even though I was not near water while using this product (other than my garden hose) the scent was reminiscent of being at the beach,” one said.

This non-tinted, fragrance-free, mineral-based sunscreen had a smooth and silky finish that testers loved (one even described the luxe feel on the face as “velvety”). Even more important, with your pregnant skin already prone to some splotchiness, this product had almost a perfect score for not causing redness or irritation.

From a brand you’ve probably used for years, this hypoallergenic, fragrance-free formula contains tea leaf, sea kelp and lotus extracts and won’t hurt your wallet when you’re saving up for baby gear. “For a mineral sunscreen, it rubbed in easily and was dry to the touch shortly afterward,” said one tester. “One of the easiest mineral sunscreens I’ve tried.”

Infused with shea butter and antioxidant-rich raspberry, grape, and carrot seed oils, this modestly priced cream-to-powder formula had the highest overall score for its scent and for being gentle on skin. “It felt wonderful when applying—super soft and billowy,” one tester raved. “My skin felt really nice after application.”

This sunscreen contains botanicals from Down Under, including Kakadu plum, eucalyptus and red algae, and has a “citrus oasis” scent that some testers loved, while others found it overwhelming. However, protection was felt through "the rigor of sweat and salt water.”

Ulta’s body lotion, with 4% titanium dioxide and 4% zinc oxide, got high marks in our tests for having a “smooth and silky” texture. Though some testers mentioned that it took a little extra scrubbing to get it off at the end of the day, it still won raves: “It’s easy to apply, applies evenly, stays on in the water and Texas summer heat, and prevents sunburn,” said one satisfied tester.

Made with a blend of ceramides and humectants, this luxe sunscreen won raves for its gentle touch — it got a perfect score from our testers for not causing any stinging or irritation. It’s so gentle, you can use it on the entire family, including any little ones over six months old. “It felt elegant and moisturizing,” one tester said.

RELATED: 11 Best Sunscreens for Kids and Babies 2022, According to Experts

Testers loved how quickly lotion absorbed into the skin. Though the formula is technically fragrance-free, one tester commented, “It had a very light, pleasant smell,” while another praised its “smooth, almost powdery finish.”

If your pregnancy nose is extra sensitive, you might prefer this fragrance-free sunscreen with 20% zinc oxide. It spreads on smoothly and rinses off easily at the end of the day. Testers appreciated that it feels light, doesn’t leave a white film on skin, and absorbs quickly. “I forgot I had it on!” was one typical remark.

If you like to feel like you’re wearing nothing at all on your face, try this gel-lotion, which got the highest scores for not leaving the face oily or shiny. Testers also loved that it left an appealing matte finish and created a silky base for makeup. “This product truly shocked me in how well it went on, how it felt on my face…and that there were no ill effects like burning, stinging, or breakouts,” said one tester.

Winner of the Good Housekeeping Seal, this sheer sunscreen from Olay includes vitamin B3 + peptides and is fragrance-free with no greasy residue. Best of all, it does double duty by hydrating your skin for up to six hours.

Active sunscreen ingredients fall into two categories: inorganic (more commonly known as mineral or physical) and organic (more commonly known as chemical). Organic sunscreens are not organic the same way that fruits or vegetables might be organic. They’re organic in the sense that they are chemicals that are carbon-based (you might remember the term “organic compound” from high school chemistry class). Meanwhile, inorganic sunscreens are made of minerals. As a result, organic and inorganic sunscreens differ in how they protect us from ultraviolet (UV) rays. “Organic sunscreens absorb ultraviolet radiation,” explains Valencia Thomas, M.D., a professor of dermatology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Inorganic sunscreens, like zinc oxide and titanium oxide, block the sun.”

In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (which classifies sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs) made noise when it proposed that only the inorganic active ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide should be generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) in sunscreens. The FDA also noted that the chemicals aminobenzoic acid acid (PABA) and trolamine salicylate should not be GRASE because of safety concerns (although those ingredients aren’t really found in sunscreens in the U.S. anymore), and that 12 other organic active ingredients should not be GRASE because more data is needed to support their use.

The main issues for the 12 chemical ingredients in question are related to absorption. “The FDA has conducted a number of studies investigating the absorption of organic sunscreen in the skin,” says Dr. Thomas. “Although blood and skin samples revealed some absorption of sunscreen ingredient, researchers did not recommend changing the current recommendations for sunscreen use. Further tests were recommended.”

While some research on rodents who were fed high doses of organic sunscreens has suggested the ingredients can affect estrogen levels, “the effects in humans have not been proven in randomized, controlled trials,” says Dr. Thomas. What’s more, one research paper noted that a person would have to cover 25% of their body with a typical amount of sunscreen continuously for 277 years to absorb the volume of chemicals ingested by the rats. “The physiological difference is enormous,” adds Dr. Wang.

Since inorganic sunscreens sit on top of the skin, there’s been less worry about their potential for absorption, although concerns have been raised about newer formulations that use smaller nanoparticles. “Multiple studies have concluded, however, that although the sunscreen may penetrate into the outer layers of the skin, inorganic nanoparticles do not reach the deeper layers of the skin and therefore do not result in significant absorption,” says Dr. Thomas.

The bottom line? Yes, the FDA requested more research to demonstrate the safety of some organic sunscreens, but it has not said you should stop using them. “Sunscreens are considered to be safe and effective for most people, including pregnant women,” says Dr. Thomas. The only people who shouldn’t use it, she notes, are infants younger than six months old — they should be kept out of the sun or wear sun-protective gear.

Note: In 2021, a number of sunscreens were recalled after tests identified low levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical compound. None of GH's recommended sunscreens are part of the sunscreen recall.

If you’re wondering about inactive ingredients you should avoid during pregnancy, ask your dermatologist for recommendations.

There are a few mistakes that are commonly made when it comes to using sunscreen. The first has to do with the amount of product applied to your skin. “If you’re looking at the laboratory study, people use 2 milligrams per centimeter squared,” says Dr. Wang. “But in general, most people only use a quarter or half that amount, so in reality they don’t get the adequate protection.” That means, if you’re a typical person putting sunscreen on, you’re probably not giving yourself the full SPF protection that’s touted on the product label. It’s best to liberally apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more to dry skin 15 minutes before going outdoors (even on cloudy days!) and then reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Applying Sunscreen Properly

Kaitlyn Pirie is a senior editor in the Health Newsroom at Hearst, where she reports, writes and edits research-backed health content for Good Housekeeping, Prevention and Woman's Day. She has more than 10 years of experience talking to top medical professionals and poring over studies to figure out the science of how our bodies work. She then turns what she learns into easy-to-read stories about medical conditions, nutrition, fitness and mental health. For this story, she and veteran health journalist Marisa Cohen consulted with two top dermatologists as well as Danusia Wnek, a chemist in the Health, Beauty and Environmental Sciences Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Danusia analyzed the results of the Institute's sunscreen tests to select the best mineral sunscreen products for pregnancy.