Do Black People Need Sunscreen? Yes, and Here's Why

Friendly reminder: this post contains affiliate links, which help support the Glowdega Archive. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

"Black don't crack" and "we don't need sunscreen" isn't exactly true. I get why people believe it. Most of us grew up without anyone handing us a bottle of SPF, and plenty of us have never had a sunburn.

But the question was never really about sunburn. Yes, Black people need sunscreen, and people with deeper skin tones may need it more than anyone for one big reason: dark spots. If you're spending money on serums to fade hyperpigmentation and skipping sunscreen, you're paying to fade marks while the sun keeps topping them up.

Do Black people need sunscreen?

Yes. Melanin gives deeper skin some natural UV protection, but nowhere near enough, and it does nothing to stop the sun from darkening existing marks. Sunscreen is the most reliable way to prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (the dark marks left behind by acne, bites, scratches and irritation) in skin of color.

A 2025 systematic review in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology looked at every studied method for preventing those marks in skin of color. Sunscreen was the one that consistently worked.

Doesn't melanin protect dark skin from the sun?

A little. Research going back to the 1970s found that significantly less UV reaches the deeper layers of Black skin than white skin, because melanin absorbs a lot of it on the way down. The protection most often quoted from that work is roughly SPF 13 for very dark skin, compared with around SPF 3 for very fair skin.

That's real protection, and it's why sunburn is less common in deeper skin. It's also less than half of the SPF 30 minimum dermatologists recommend for everyone. The catch: melanin protects you by producing more pigment. The same system that shields you is the one creating the dark spots you're trying to get rid of.

I've ranted about the "melanin-rich" marketing language before (Skincare for Melanin is Just Bad Marketing), and this is the science underneath it. Everyone has melanin. Deeper skin just makes more of it, faster, in response to light.

Why do my dark spots come back even though I wear sunscreen?

Because most sunscreens don't block visible light, and visible light is a major driver of pigmentation in medium-to-deep skin tones.

In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers shined long-wave UVA and visible light (the regular light you can see) on volunteers whose skin ranged from Fitzpatrick type IV to type VI, medium brown to deep brown. Both caused pigmentation, but the darkening from visible light was deeper and lasted longer. When they tried the same thing on fair skin (type II), visible light caused no pigmentation at all.

So two people can use the same SPF 50 every day and get very different results. The fair-skinned person is protected from what affects them most. The person with deeper skin is still exposed to the light that darkens their marks. That's why your hyperpigmentation flares every summer even though you swear you wore sunscreen. You did. It just wasn't built for your skin.

What sunscreen is best for dark skin?

A broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher sunscreen that's tinted with iron oxides. Iron oxides are the mineral pigments that give tinted sunscreen its color, and they absorb visible light that standard sunscreen filters let through.

The evidence for this is strong. In a double-blind randomized trial of 68 people with melasma, everyone used 4% hydroquinone and an SPF 50+ sunscreen. Half got a sunscreen with iron oxides, half got a UV-only version. After eight weeks, the iron oxide group improved more. Same treatment, same SPF; the tint made the difference.

When you shop:

• Check the ingredient list for iron oxides. They're often listed as CI 77491, CI 77492 or CI 77499. "Tinted" on the front of the bottle doesn't guarantee them.
• Look for real shade ranges. A single "universal" tint usually wasn't made with you in mind.
• Chemical filters usually leave no white cast. If you prefer one, layer a tinted product or a foundation with iron oxides on top.
• Tinted mineral sunscreens solve two problems at once, because the iron oxides that block visible light also cancel the ashy cast zinc oxide can leave on deeper skin.

For a broader rundown of sunscreen types, filters and how to read SPF claims, see my ultimate sunscreen guide.

How much sunscreen should I use on my face?

About a quarter teaspoon for your face. Another way to measure: the "two finger rule" coined by esthetician Tiara Willis. This is a line of product down the length of your index finger and another down your middle finger. Most of us apply a fraction of that, which means they're getting a fraction of the SPF on the label.

• Every morning, as the last step of your skincare and before makeup.
• Reapply every two hours when you're outside, and after sweating or swimming.
• Indoors counts if you're near a window. Glass blocks most UVB but lets UVA and visible light through, so a desk next to a window is still exposure.
• Winter and cloudy days count too. Your melanocytes don't take the season off.

Will sunscreen give me a vitamin D deficiency?

It's a fair question, because deeper skin does make vitamin D from sunlight less efficiently, and Black Americans are more likely to have low vitamin D. The answer isn't to skip sunscreen. Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level and supplement if you're low. Trading new dark spots for vitamin D you can get from a supplement is a bad deal.

Why sunscreen matters if you're treating hyperpigmentation

Every dark spot treatment you use, from azelaic acid to professional peels, works better with daily sun protection and much worse without it. I covered this in You Can't Clear Hyperpigmentation Without Sunscreen, and the research has only gotten clearer since: if you're fading marks, sunscreen is the treatment that keeps the others from being wasted.

FAQ

Can Black people get sunburned?

Yes. It's less common than in fair skin, but deeper skin can burn, especially with long exposure, at altitude or near water. Sunburn on deeper skin may look darker or feel hot and sore rather than turning bright red.

What SPF should I use for dark skin?

SPF 30 at minimum, broad-spectrum, every day. SPF 50 is a good choice if you're treating hyperpigmentation or melasma, and a tinted formula with iron oxides adds the visible light protection that matters most for deeper skin.

Do I need sunscreen if I stay inside all day?

If you sit near a window or spend time in a bright room, yes. Window glass lets UVA and visible light through, both of which can darken marks on deeper skin.

Does makeup with SPF count as sunscreen?

Only partly. Foundation with iron oxides does block some visible light, but people rarely apply enough of it to reach the SPF on the label. Wear sunscreen underneath.

Sun protection gets its own chapter in my book, Under Your Skin, because for deeper skin tones it's the step every other treatment depends on.

Sources

• Prevention of Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation in Skin of Colour: A Systematic Review, Australasian Journal of Dermatology, 2025
• Photoprotection by melanin: a comparison of black and Caucasian skin, Kaidbey KH et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1979
• Photoprotection for Skin of Color, Tsai J, Chien AL, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
• Impact of long-wavelength UVA and visible light on melanocompetent skin, Mahmoud BH et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2010
• Near-visible light and UV photoprotection in the treatment of melasma: a double-blind randomized trial, Castanedo-Cazares JP et al., Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2014
• How to apply sunscreen, American Academy of Dermatology