Equate Sport Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50 for oily acne-prone skin
Avobenzone
Homosalate
Octisalate
Octocrylene
Tocopherol Vitamin EAverage
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other sunscreens fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for your oily skin due to Aluminum Octenylsuccinate Starch's seboregulation properties, but lacks sufficient mattifying ingredients for optimal results.
- While the sunscreen provides excellent UV protection with ingredients like avobenzone and octocrylene, it does not contain specialized ingredients like salicylic acid to target your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing tocopherol.
How to apply
- Apply this sunscreen AM as the final step of your morning skincare routine. Reapply every two hours when exposed to the sun for continuous protection.
- Apply after your moisturizer as the last step before makeup. Do not apply anything on top of your sunscreen.
- Gently spread a coin-sized amount evenly across your face and neck. Avoid harsh rubbing to prevent disturbing the protective layer.
- Apply on completely dry skin after your moisturizer has fully absorbed. This ensures the sunscreen forms an even, protective barrier.
- Avoid direct contact with your eyes during application. Do a patch test before first use to ensure no irritation occurs.
Questions and answers
How well does Equate Sport SPF 50 work for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen works moderately well for oily skin because it helps control oil, but it lacks ingredients to target acne and breakouts. It is unlikely to irritate your skin, though an oily skin type needs lightweight, oil-free formulas with mattifying agents and acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid for the best results.
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023Antioxidants, 2025
Which ingredients make this sunscreen a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Aluminum Octenylsuccinate Starch helps control extra oil, and soothing tocopherol vitamin e keeps the formula gentle for your skin. However, this skin type needs oil-controlling ingredients and blemish-fighting agents like salicylic acid to get the best results.
What does Avobenzone do for oily acne-prone skin?
Avobenzone helps protect your skin from sun damage, but it does not treat oily or acne-prone skin on its own. Sunscreens for this skin type need ingredients that feel light, absorb excess oil, and won't clog your pores.
What does Homosalate do for oily acne-prone skin?
Homosalate acts as a UV filter in sunscreen to protect oily and acne-prone skin from sun damage without feeling heavy. Chemical sunscreens containing this ingredient show a very low likelihood of causing skin irritation or breakouts.
Where does this sunscreen go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen goes as the last step of your morning skincare routine, right after your moisturizer. It is unlikely to irritate your oily skin because it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing vitamin E.
Can I use this sunscreen with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this sunscreen in the morning as the last step after your retinol routine, which is typically applied at night. It is unlikely to irritate your skin, but an oily acne-prone skin type needs a sunscreen with extra oil-absorbing ingredients and breakout-fighting elements like salicylic acid for best results.
How often should I use this sunscreen?
You can use this sunscreen every morning as the final step of your daytime routine. It provides good sun protection, but an oily and acne-prone skin also needs specialized ingredients like salicylic acid and strong oil-absorbing components for the best results.
Can this sunscreen clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but it does not contain specialized acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid to target breakouts. To work best for acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs extra mattifying ingredients and blemish-targeting actives.
Is this sunscreen fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
Encapsulation of ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane in lipid microparticles significantly reduced their in vivo human skin penetration compared to nonencapsulated filters.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011Microencapsulation of the BMDBM/HP-beta-CD complex in lipid microparticles significantly decreased the percutaneous penetration of the UV filter into the stratum corneum of human volunteers compared to the non-encapsulated sunscreen agent.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011Following human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing 2% BMDBM loaded in lipospheres, 15% of the sunscreen accumulated in the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum without remarkably modifying skin permeation compared to unencapsulated sunscreen.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2008Dermal application of a sunscreen containing 10% homosalate in four volunteers resulted in delayed elimination with terminal half-times around 24 h and a bioavailability of cis-homosalate a factor of 2 lower than trans-homosalate, while metabolite ratios supported using oral-route urinary excretion fractions for dermal exposure assessments.
Archives of Toxicology, 2024Chemical sunscreens containing avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, and octisalate showed no to minimal risks of dermal irritation, sensitization, photo-allergy, and photo-irritation in human subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Homosalate exhibited the highest permeation among tested filters with a relative permeability rate of 4.2% and a depth of 60 um, and specific thickeners and emulsifiers successfully reduced its permeation without inhibiting the skin permeation of niacinamide.
Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2026Simulated real-life dermal sunscreen exposure in twenty human volunteers leads to the systemic bioavailability and urinary excretion of the UV filter 2-ethylhexyl salicylate and its metabolite, reaching concentration peaks at 7 to 8 hours with 70-80% of overall excretion within 24 hours.
Archives of Toxicology, 2019The application of a sunscreen formulation containing ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, methyl anthranilate, and octocrylene does not significantly affect critical acne-related species such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, refuting the induction of facial dysbiosis in men.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024Controlled single dermal exposure to an EHS-containing sunscreen in three volunteers resulted in delayed systemic resorption with elimination half-lives between 6.6 and 9.7 hours, where the parent compound EHS occurred as the dominant urinary parameter.
Archives of Toxicology, 2024Incorporating rosmarinic acid into sunscreens enhanced the in vivo SPF of octocrylene by over 157% and reduced lipid peroxidation in the human stratum corneum.
Antioxidants, 2025Early application of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing significantly increased the sensitization rate of the UV-filter, octocrylene, and the sunscreen compared to intact skin.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2015Dermal sunscreen exposure in 20 healthy volunteers led to plasma concentrations of avobenzone, octocrylene, and its metabolite CDAA reaching up to 11 μg/L, 25 μg/L, and 1352 μg/L, respectively.
Environment International, 2019Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Why other sunscreens fit oily acne-prone skin better
Biomimetic hyaluronic acid-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles selectively inhibited C. acnes, outperformed erythromycin in preclinical acne models, and safely reduced acne lesions and redness in a clinical trial.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2025Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Tridecyl Salicylate, Sorbitol, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Octenylsuccinate Starch, Triethanolamine, Polyethyloxazoline, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Disodium Edta, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Benzyl Alcohol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.