The Canadian Sunscreen Edit

The Canadian Edit is built to help you discover incredible Canadian brands. We share things that we love, and think you might too. If you purchase through an external link, we may earn a commission.

There’s never really an off-season for sunscreen in Canada. UV rays come through the cloud cover, bounce off the snow, and quietly do their thing whether we’re lakeside in July or shovelling the driveway in February. The good news? Canadian beauty brands have made it easy to find a favourite you’ll reach for daily. Whether you want a feather-light mineral serum, a tinted moisturizer that doubles as your makeup, a body-and-face all-rounder for the dock, or a drugstore staple your wallet will actually love, there’s a homegrown option for it.

Below are nine Canadian sunscreens we’re reaching for this season — from Indigenous-owned botanical brands in B.C. to Montreal heritage labels and dermatologist-led lines that started in the clinic.

Skwalwen Kalkáy Tinted SPF 30 Face Cream

Skwálwen Botanicals is the Squamish, B.C.–based skincare brand founded by Leigh Joseph, an Indigenous ethnobotanist of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation. The mineral formula uses 20% non-nano zinc oxide for broad-spectrum protection, while iron oxides soften any dreaded white cast and leave skin looking luminous and evenly toned. Cranberry seed oil, jojoba, chamomile, and rose flower oil are included in the formula, so it feels like skincare rather than sunscreen. Best for: anyone who wants their morning ritual to feel a little more grounded.

Also available at:
Well.ca

Blume Sunburst Mineral SPF 50

Vancouver-based Blume built its following on cult favourites like Meltdown (their breakout-fighting gel cleanser and oil) and the Milky Fade scar-and-spot serum, so Sunburst feels like the obvious next step: a mineral SPF 50 designed specifically for the breakout-prone crowd who’ve historically been told they had to choose between sun protection and clear skin. The 12% non-nano zinc oxide delivers broad-spectrum, PA++++ coverage, and the formula is layered with niacinamide, allantoin, bisabolol, and centella asiatica — meaning it pulls double duty fading post-acne marks and calming angry skin while it protects. The texture is sheer enough to disappear under makeup, and the light mandarin-and-orange scent is a lovely wake-up when you’re applying in the morning.

Also available at:
Sephora Canada

Lise Watier Sun Smart Universal UV Shield SPF 30

The Montreal-founded brand has been a fixture in our medicine cabinets for decades (we’re looking at you Portfolio Professional Correctors), and Sun Smart is the workhorse you slot in over (or under) whatever else you’re already using. Think of it less as a stand-alone sunscreen and more as a clear, silky finishing layer that adds SPF 30 to any morning routine without disturbing the products underneath. It’s mineral-based (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), oil-free, paraben-free, and dries down to a velvety, no-shine finish that wears beautifully under makeup. A Canadian classic for a reason.

Also available at:
Sephora Canada

OMY Laboratoires SPF 50+ Mineral Solar Serum

Quebec’s OMY Lab is the country’s leading personalized skincare brand, and now a Certified B Corp, which tells you something about how the brand thinks about everything from formulation to packaging. Their SPF 50+ Mineral Solar Serum is exactly what the name promises: a 100% mineral sunscreen with the lightweight, fluid texture of a serum. Twelve per cent non-nano zinc oxide does the heavy lifting on broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, while niacinamide, bisabolol, and vitamin E support the skin barrier and calm anything reactive. It’s water-resistant for 40 minutes, dermatologist-tested and at $44.99, it punches well above its price point.

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Vivier SHEER SPF 30 Mineral

Vivier is the clinic-counter Canadian brand that estheticians buzz about. Developed and formulated in Canada under medical guidance, it’s the kind of line your dermatologist hands you a tester of after a peel. SHEER SPF 30 Mineral is the elevated, no-fuss daily SPF in the lineup: 100% mineral filters (10% titanium dioxide, 8% zinc oxide), with vitamins C and E built in to brighten and soften the look of fine lines while you protect. The finish is dewy and luminous in a way more matte mineral sunscreens never quite manage, and it’s fragrance-free, oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

Tanit Moisturizing Mineral Sunscreen with Prickly Pear Seed Oil

If your idea of summer is a long weekend at the lake with too many kids and not enough table real estate for separate face and body products, Tanit’s Moisturizing Mineral Sunscreen is your one-bottle solution. The Canadian-made brand specializes in natural, plastic-free essentials, and this sunscreen is packaged in a fully compostable tube made from wheat-straw fibres — a small but genuinely lovely detail. The formula leans on 12% non-nano zinc oxide alongside organic prickly pear seed oil (a quietly heroic antioxidant), argan, jojoba, and shea butter, so it sinks in without a white cast or sticky finish. Available in SPF 30 or 50, in coconut-vanilla or unscented, it’s reef-friendly, water-resistant for 40 minutes, and gentle enough for sensitive skin.

Also available at:
Well.ca

Riversol Daily Glow Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+

Riversol was born out of a Vancouver dermatology clinic. Dr. Jason Rivers founded the line for his own patients with sensitive, post-procedure, and rosacea-prone skin, and that DNA still runs through every formula. The new Daily Glow Mineral Sunscreen is a 100% mineral SPF 50+ built around 12% non-nano Kleair™ zinc oxide, paired with niacinamide, allantoin, and bisabolol to keep things calm and comfortable. What sets it apart is the finish — a soft, lit-from-within glow rather than the chalky cast mineral SPFs are often guilty of — and the fact that it comes in three options: Untinted, Shade 100, and Shade 200, so it can pinch-hit as your foundation on low-effort days.

Marcelle Multi-Defense Replenishing Lotion SPF 45

Marcelle has been in Canadian bathrooms since 1874 — the brand’s BB and CC creams have a near-mythic following among Canadian women — and the new Multi-Defense range is a worthy update to that legacy. The Replenishing Lotion is a featherweight chemical SPF 45 (octocrylene, octisalate, avobenzone, ensulizole) layered over hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, so it pulls double duty as your morning moisturizer and sun protection in one step. In the brand’s consumer testing, 88% of users said the formula left no white cast and delivered a radiant, glowy finish — which lines up with how it actually wears in real life. Hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, oil-free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, and tested under dermatological control. At $22.95, it’s the most accessible pick on this list.

The Sunscreen Company Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35

The Sunscreen Company is basaed in Grimsby, Ontario and quietly powers some of Canada’s most respected SPFs. The hero product of the Ava Isa line, Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35, was one of the first mineral sunscreens on the market to genuinely feel like a silky serum on skin, with zero white cast and a high concentration of zinc oxide. It also features the brand’s globally patented Bio UVA Ultra technology, which boosts UVA protection by up to 60% — a meaningful difference if you spend any real time outdoors.

The truth about sunscreen is the same truth about flossing: the best one is the one you’ll actually use every day. With this many Canadian brands offering options that range from $22 drugstore lotions to clinic-grade serums, from feather-light tints to compostable-tube reef-safe formulas, there’s really no excuse not to find one that fits. The bonus? Every dollar spent on these picks is a dollar staying in Canada — supporting Indigenous-owned brands, multigenerational family businesses, dermatologist-led labs, and a whole generation of independent founders building something thoughtful here at home.

Now go reapply.