Beauty media platform Cosmetics Business has revealed the top 5 sun care trends of 2025. Sunscreen is now a trending beauty product.

Trends:

Trend 1: Gen Alpha: The new face of SPF

• The demographic has not only captured the attention of beauty brands, it has driven a rise in launches of new, dedicated Gen Alpha brands.
• Sun care specifically is a category ripe with opportunity, as brands are focusing efforts on skin barrier protection and competing to be the leading authorities on SPF for beauty’s newest cohort.

Trend 2: Invisible sunscreen

• If the experience of using the product on the skin feels and looks good, then brands are solving a problem that has been bugging sun care consumers for years.
• Sticky, heavy formulas that leave a white cast are banished to the past. Today’s most desirable sun care brands are launching formulas that are 'invisible' and weightless on the skin - and scrapping those that aren't.

Trend 3: SPF Lip oils

• Lip oils have become the hybrid heroes of many consumers’ beauty routines, with brands from Dior to Rare Beauty blending skin care and make-up to create a high-shine look that continues to trend in 2025.
• But the next wave of innovation is seeing a third pillar of benefits move into the trusty lip oil format - sun protection.
• As the summer months move in, SPF lip oils are poised for a boom as consumers seek out new formats that can not only protect their lips during hot weather, but can provide a hint of colour and a glossy finish.

Trend 4: Tinted sunscreens

• A flurry of new launches and a wider range of shades are boosting the appeal of tinted sunscreens as more consumers incorporate SPF into their daily routines.
• The category has experienced significant growth, with demand rising 86.9% year-over-year across platforms, according to data intelligence platform Spate.
• “Tinted SPF is no longer a niche - it is becoming a staple and one of the fastest-growing SPF categories,” Akshay Talati, Chief Innovation Officer at Supergoop! tells Cosmetics Business.

Trend 5: Reef safe sun care

• Whether it’s biodegradable formulas or plastic-free packaging, sustainability is now an expectation for consumers when purchasing beauty products.
• In sun care, shoppers have historically been slower to apply the same approach, yet recent data from Trendalytics reveals that year-on-year searches for ‘reef safe SPF’ have risen by 86% since 2024, reflecting an increasing interest from consumers for eco-friendly formulations.

For more information, visit cosmeticsbusiness.com.