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As a beauty writer, there are a few celebrity-endorsed brands I’ve come to recognize over the years as actually worth the hype. EltaMD — which had its start in 1800s rural Switzerland as a healing ointment provider — is one of them, being regularly shouted out by the likes of Drew Barrymore and Hailey Bieber while creating the types of sun-care offerings that are science-backed and live up to the highest industry standards. This latter aspect is how EltaMD was able to become the #1 dermatologist-recommended sunscreen company, and it’s continuing the hot streak with an SPF formula that takes sunscreens for acne-prone skin to a whole new level.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of dropping anchor at Colgate-Palmolive’s R&D headquarters in New Jersey ahead of the product’s release, where I was introduced to the award-winning scientists responsible for it. EltaMD’s resident team of experts spent years engineering a sunscreen that not only had a palliative effect on acne but could visibly reduce blemishes, oil, shine, and pore size in users. The result? EltaMD’s latest and greatest UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen SPF 50, an extension of the brand’s already-beloved UV Clear line.

Considering that sunscreens capable of correcting versus just calming breakouts have been practically unheard of until EltaMD came out with its own, I was eager to test out the Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing arrival and see how it stacked up against competitors — particularly the buzzy Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen (which is also SPF 50) and Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen (sitting at a slightly higher SPF rating of 70).

Months of dedicated efforts went into developing the new, acne-safe sunscreen’s texture alone, as the EltaMD team fiddled with the chemical composition of its zinc oxide, a key component, to ensure the sunscreen went on smoothly, absorbed effortlessly, and had no white cast. In my personal testing, these were all major considerations, and so was the formula’s scent, how long it stayed on my face before demanding reapplication, whether or not it left greasiness in its wake, and how heavy it felt. In other words, would my pores experience a clogged sensation or could EltaMD’s UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Sunscreen consistently be described as lightweight?

Below, my thoughts on what just might be EltaMD’s most innovative rollout to date.

Editor’s Review: EltaMD UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen

EltaMD’s new-for-2026 UV Clear sunscreen is already a #1 bestseller in Amazon’s “Facial Sunscreens” category, and it’s not hard to see why. When I first put it on my hand as a swatch sample, I noticed right away how airy the sunscreen’s constitution was, as compared to its Neutrogena counterpart’s thicker, richer, and whiter look and feel. What this meant: After just a few seconds of gently rubbing in the sunscreen, it took on a transparent finish, serving up covetable dewiness sans any trace of grease. Given that the UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Sunscreen promises to balance skin’s oil generation, I was happy to discover that it didn’t enhance it, which would be detrimental to those dealing with acne-prone skin.

The sunscreen’s barely there scent was neutral enough not to aggravate my sensitivity to fragrances typically found in the beauty world, while still leaving behind a pleasant trail of aromatic freshness. After taking it for a spin on my hand, I proceeded to apply the sunscreen on my face. As you can see in the visuals above, it went from white to invisible in no time at all, bestowing upon my cheek a slightly mattified look yet still salvaging glowiness. Throughout my day in the office — stepping out into the bright sunshine for lunch, breaking a sweat when walking around the block, hopping on a Zoom with my boss, and otherwise engaging with my surroundings — I constantly felt the soothing presence of the UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen and only reapplied it when walking back home from work in the still-intense sun. That being said, EltaMD recommends treating your face and neck to the sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure, liberally, and repeating the process at least every two hours if staying outside.

I also preferred the EltaMD launch to Supergoop!’s weightless, colorless, and scentless Unseen Sunscreen mainstay, for a few specific reasons. First off, EltaMD’s UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Sunscreen avoids both a Vaseline-like consistency and post-application shine. Yes, I know I said before that you’ll still be getting some dewiness here, but it’s not the same as the slick top layer that the Supergoop! alternative put on my skin (despite claiming to “disappear into all skin tones”). On a purely sensorial level, the EltaMD sunscreen I trialed beat out its rivals, and it doesn’t hurt that the proprietary technology it runs on helps block five environmental aggressors: blue light, smog, and diesel included.

Since I got my hands on the sunscreen in question more than a month before it went live in a B2C capacity, I was already able to observe its longterm blemish- and oil-eliminating powers firsthand. Right now, taking advantage of the Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen SPF 50 at least four times a week and multiple times a day, I’m noticing less net-new breakouts, less redness, a more uniform skin texture, and an overall tighter appearance as it relates to my pores. It doesn’t hurt that EltaMD’s novel creation also works marvelously well under makeup — acting as a kind of primer that amplifies the look of my foundation, bronzer, and other go-tos.