After trying more sunscreens than I can count in my time as a beauty editor, I've learned that finding one that actually feels and looks good on the skin - not just tolerable - is rarer than you'd think.
Whether it's the best facial sunscreen or those for body, finding one that you genuinely love can be tricky. Usually, you buy something that promises to be lightweight and non-greasy, spend two weeks on holiday feeling like you've smeared wallpaper paste on your arms, and swear you'll find something better next year.
Which is why the Hawaiian Tropic Hydrating Protection Sunscreen Lotion has earned a permanent spot in my holiday bag. And right now, it's only £5 on Amazon - down from an RRP of £18, and even below its usual Amazon selling price - which makes this an easy one to stock up on before summer gets properly underway.
With 12-hour moisturisation, thanks to hydrating ribbons of cocoa and shea butter, this combines broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection - making it ideal for sun-drenched getaways. Lightweight, water-resistant and free from white cast, it leaves skin with a subtle, sun-catching sheen and is available in both SPF 30 and SPF 50.
For me, the thing that sets this sunscreen apart from everything else I've tested is the texture. It has a silky, almost lotion-like consistency that glides onto skin effortlessly - it genuinely feels more like applying a fancy body moisturiser than putting on sunscreen - and yet you're getting full broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection at the same time. For anyone who finds the whole sunscreen step of their routine a bit of a chore, this is the one that changes that.
It's also genuinely lightweight. There's no heaviness, no greasiness, and, crucially, no white cast at all. It melts straight into the skin and leaves a lovely subtle sheen that's particularly flattering when the sun catches it. The kind of finish that makes your skin look healthy rather than coated.
The scent is another thing worth mentioning. It has a gentle, tropical fragrance that's subtle enough not to be overpowering but is just enough to make applying sunscreen feel like the start of a holiday rather than a chore. If you've ever been put off by the clinical, chemical smell of some high-protection sunscreens, this is about as far from that as it gets.
Practically speaking, it also delivers. The formula contains hydrating ribbons of cocoa butter and shea butter for 12-hour moisturisation, it's water-resistant, and it's vegan, paraben-free, microplastic-free, oxybenzone-free and octinoxate-free. The SPF 50 version gives you the highest level of protection if you're heading somewhere particularly sunny, and is well worth picking up alongside the SPF 30.
At £5, this is genuinely one of the best value buys in suncare right now. I'd recommend buying a few, especially with the summer heatwave coming up - at this price, there's no reason not to.
