Summer Fridays’ First SPF Product Is Here—and It’s About to Be Your New Holy Grail

To say I’m obsessed with the lightweight formula would be an understatement.

Samantha Holender's avatar
By
Published In News
model holding summer fridays sunscreen
(Image credit: Courtesy of Summer Fridays)

I’m the first to admit it: I can be a sunscreen snob. So trust me when I say that Summer Fridays’ soon-to-launch Shadedrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen is the real deal. It’s silky, not sticky, layers like a dream under makeup, and gives the most insane blurring effect to the skin. 

The long-awaited launch, which retails for $36 and will be available for purchase on Monday, May 31, has one of the most elegant sunscreen textures I’ve ever tried—no joke. It feels like a lightweight serum as opposed to a heavy, goopy sunscreen that’s typically associated with zinc oxide-based formulas. While you can apply the product directly to your skin with the bottle-nose applicator, I like to put it in my hands first to make sure I’m using enough product to protect my skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. 

It comes out tinted at first, but the second you start rubbing it into the skin, the nude color transforms into an easy-to-blend white hue. It sinks in pretty quickly, leaving a soft glow behind. If I’m being honest, it gave my skin the same finish as a blurring primer. It’s not matte and not quite dewy, but it does leave a subtle sheen. 

Latest Videos FromMarie Claire

As for the formula itself? It’s loaded with good ingredients. One of the biggest callouts is squalane, a plant-derived ingredient that’s super hydrating. Add soothing camomile to the mix, and the SPF is gentle enough for my sensitive, dry, and rosacea-prone skin. It’s also packed with antioxidants, including vitamin E, to protect from free radical damage. When you inevitably hit bottom on the SPF, just wash out the bottle and toss it in the recycling bin. Every component is recyclable. 

To make sure you scoop up this SPF for summer (trust me, you’re going to want it), sign up for notifications on summerfridays.com or check back at sephora.com on Memorial Day.

Samantha Holender
Samantha Holender
Senior Beauty Editor

Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.