10 Best Essential Oils for Sun Protection

I’ve compiled a list of the best essential oils for sun protection and their benefits. The FREE printable essential oil SPF chart can help you decide which to use!

Essential oils often carry their own small level of SPF. So when trying to decide which oil to put in your homemade sunscreen or DIY skincare, you want to choose the one with the best benefits and highest SPF!

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There are also certain essential oils that you will want to avoid in sunlight and we will go over those too with a photosensitive essential oils list.

Which essential oils have SPF factor?

Please remember that the SPF (sun protection factor) value of a product only protects against UVB rays. This is why it is imperative to have a sunscreen recipe that provides broad spectrum SPF. Which just means it protects from both UVB and UVA rays.

There have not been many studies on the SPF value of essential oils.The information found is mostly from two studies. One conducted in 2010 by the national library of medicine and another in 2018 by the National Institutes of health. These sources provide most of the listed essential oil SPF values.

I have created two FREE printable essential oil SPF charts to show just how much SPF each oil naturally carries.

Carrot Seed Oil SPF- 30-40
Myrrh Oil SPF- 20
Calendula Oil SPF- 8
Peppermint Oil SPF- 7
Lavender OIl SPF- 6
Lemongrass Oil SPF- 6
Geranium Oil SPF- 6
Eucalyptus Oil SPF- 3
Tea Tree Oil SPF- 2
Rose Oil SPF -1

Can Essential Oils be used as sunscreen?

The short answer is no. As mentioned above, SPF only protects from UVB rays. Essential oils also have a very low SPF rating, meaning their protection factor simply is not enough to properly protect our skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays. Do not use essential oils as sunscreen.

Which essential oils to avoid in sunlight?

Though many oils carry a low sun protection factor, others are classified as photosensitive, or phototoxic oils. Most cold pressed citrus oils are phototoxic, though not all. This list of phototoxic essential oils are the ones that should be avoided in the sun.

Photosensitive Essential Oils list

Bergamot (Cold-pressed)
Bitter, Sweet or Wild Orange (Cold-pressed)
Grapefruit (Cold-pressed)
Key Lime (Cold-pressed)
Lemon (Cold-pressed)
Lime (Cold-pressed)
Tangerine
Clementine
Kumquat
Mandarin Leaf
Cumin
Fig Leaf Absolute
Rue
Tagete
Angelica Root
Celery Seed

Just because you should not apply these to your skin does not mean that you shouldn’t enjoy a citrus smelling summer! These can still be diffused for their health benefits. Just keep in mind that they should not be exposed to sunlight after application to the skin.

Essential Oil SPF Chart

This essential Oil SPF chart is here to make things easier for you. Pick one of the 2 FREE printable options available and keep handy for future reference. Just click on the image you want to download!

Which essential oil has the highest SPF?

Carrot seed oil is the essential oil that has the highest SPF coming in at 30-40 SPF. Some sources actually placed the SPF value at 38-40 or 35-40.

Which essential oils are best for sunscreen?

When looking at essential oils for the purposes of sunscreen specifically, you will want the ones with the highest SPF and best skin healing benefits. The following oils are best for sunscreen.

Essential oil sunburn relief

Though there is little research on the validity of using oils as healing methods, small studies have been done that have supported the practice.

These oils are known to have benefits for the skin and can potentially aide in sunburn relief.
*Note: Essential oils are very concentrated and should never be applied directly to the skin without a carrier oil.

*Disclaimer: I have done extensive research for the information provided. This is not medical advice and I am not responsible for any adverse effects anyone may experience from using these oils. Please do your research to ensure you do not have any allergies or may react to the oils mentioned.

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How can I make natural sunscreen at home?

It is actually really easy to make! Making a homemade natural sunscreen is basically just melting some ingredients together, add non-nano zinc oxide, add essential oils, and be done! Just pour it into your glass storage container and let it sit.

Some people whip it for a different consistency, but I do not mind the way it turns out. I use peppermint oil in my recipe for that fresh feeling, but any of the ones in this post will work!

Don’t forget to comment and let me know if you choose to use these in your skincare products or homemade sunscreen!