Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum for dry sensitive skin
Avobenzone
Homosalate
Octisalate
Octocrylene
Collagen Peptide
Average
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other sunscreens fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry skin, as glycerin and jojoba esters provide humectant and emollient actions to support hydration and reduce flakiness. Tocopherol offers some soothing benefits, but more potent moisturizing ingredients would be needed for optimal results.
- The formulation provides excellent sun protection with avobenzone and homosalate, which is beneficial for overall skin health.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your dry and sensitive skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizing sunscreen daily in your morning routine. Reapply every two hours if you are staying outdoors.
- Apply this product at the very end of your morning routine right after your regular moisturizer.
- Gently pat a nickel-sized amount of the moisturizing sunscreen evenly across your face and neck.
- Apply this product onto clean, dry skin before you go outside into the sun.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for sensitivity.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.6k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users love this product's lightweight, serum-like texture that absorbs quickly and leaves no white cast, making it ideal for darker skin tones and daily wear. Its hydrating formula provides a desirable glow, and it performs well under makeup. However, some users with very oily or acne-prone skin find it too greasy or shiny.
Highlights
Lightweight serum Mostly Mentioned
- “feels like nothing”
- “absorbs in seconds”
- “not tacky or sticky”
- “thin fluid consistency”
No white cast Mostly Mentioned
- “works on dark skin”
- “truly invisible finish”
- “no white cast at all”
- “blends seamlessly”
Hydrating glow Often Mentioned
- “doubles as moisturizer”
- “leaves a healthy glow”
- “skin feels smoother”
- “glassy skin finish”
Good under makeup Sometimes Noted
- “no pilling”
- “sits great under foundation”
- “acts like a primer”
- “makeup looks smooth”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for amount”
- “bottle is small”
- “pricey for daily SPF”
- “splurge item”
Too greasy Sometimes Noted
- “too radiant for oily skin”
- “looked shiny by noon”
- “felt heavy on t-zone”
- “greasy residue”
Chemical scent Rarely Noted
- “faint lab smell”
- “chemical scent lingers”
- “smells like sunscreen”
- “weird odor”
Eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “stings my eyes”
- “caused tearing”
- “avoid eye area”
- “eyes sensitive to filters”
Sources: lovi.care, kiehls.com, ulta.com, sephora.com, reddit.com, nubelease.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum work for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing spf works moderately well for your dry sensitive skin, providing good sun protection and hydration without irritation. However, a product of this type needs richer hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and niacinamide to keep very dry skin completely smooth and comfortable.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and jojoba esters make this serum work for your skin by adding moisture and helping keep it soft, while avobenzone and homosalate provide sun protection with a low risk of irritation. However, a product of this type needs richer moisturizing ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and niacinamide to fully meet the needs of dry sensitive skin.
What does Avobenzone do for dry sensitive skin?
Avobenzone provides protection from the sun's UVA rays, but for dry sensitive skin, it can sometimes cause irritation or allergic reactions as it breaks down in sunlight. This type of skin needs a sunscreen with soothing ingredients and physical blockers that sit on the skin without causing redness or stinging.
Toxicology in Vitro, 2018Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2009
What does Homosalate do for dry sensitive skin?
Homosalate helps protect dry sensitive skin from sun damage while posing a low risk of skin irritation. However, because dry sensitive skin easily loses moisture, a sunscreen containing this ingredient also needs soothing and hydrating agents to keep the skin soft and comfortable.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing spf goes in the morning routine after your cleansing and toning steps, and before you head out for the day. A product of this type needs richer hydrating ingredients and skin-softening oils to keep dry skin comfortable all day long.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing spf in the morning and retinol in the evening. This product provides sun protection, but a product of this type for dry sensitive skin needs richer softening ingredients and deeper hydrators for optimal results.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this moisturizing spf every morning as part of your daily routine. It is unlikely to cause irritation for your dry and sensitive skin, though a product of this type for your skin needs heavier moisturizing ingredients for optimal results.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores for your dry sensitive skin. It has a very safe formula with no harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation or flare-ups.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Topical formulations containing 3.75% glycerol and 1.25% hydrolyzed jojoba esters produced significantly lower evaporative TEWL values compared to glycerol alone at 8 and 24 hours posttreatment in human subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Chemical 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, 2025Encapsulating avobenzone in low-porosity TiO2-embedded mesoporous silica (TiO2/SBA-S) reduced cutaneous avobenzone absorption from 0.76 to 0.50 nmol/mg while providing effective pollutant adsorbability, UVA protection, and a two- to three-fold reduction in photoaged skin cytokines/chemokines compared to the non-treatment control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023Encapsulation 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, 2024Homosalate 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, 2026An online-SPE-LC-MS/MS method successfully quantified specific urinary homosalate metabolites for up to 96 hours after dermal sunscreen application in a volunteer and detected metabolites exclusively in three German pilot participants who had used sunscreen within five days.
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2021Simulated 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, 2019
Why other sunscreens fit dry sensitive skin better
Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Topical application of rosemary essential oil-loaded lipid nanoparticles in gel vehicles significantly increased skin hydration compared to gels containing free oil, and increased elasticity to a lesser extent, in ten healthy volunteers.
Pharmaceutics, 2017A mixture of Panax ginseng and Crataegus pinnatifida prevented skin aging by improving procollagen type I expression, diminishing matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion, reducing skin roughness and photodamage scores, and decreasing loss of skin moisture in human dermal fibroblasts and healthy human skin.
Journal of Ginseng Research, 2017
Ingredients
Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Water, Glycerin, C15-19 Alkane, Propanediol, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Octenylsuccinate Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus Wax Seed Sunflower Wax Seed, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Polyglycerin-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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