Tatcha Milky Sunscreen SPF 50
49/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Tatcha Milky Sunscreen SPF 50 is a chemical sunscreen built on Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (avobenzone), an older-generation filter set. It wears with a balanced finish, stays lightweight, and shows low white cast, which suits most skin tones. Its breakout risk is generally low, so it tends to be acne-friendly. The overall score of 49 reflects weak measured protection, so it reads more as a daily cosmetic step than a high-defense sunscreen.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Weak
33
- +12 Homosalate at #3, UV filter
- +7.6 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #5, UV filter
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #7, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- ×0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- ×0.72 Avobenzone without a photostabilizer
- +2 Label claims (SPF 50)
☢️
Health safety
Medium
57
- +100 Starting score
- −40 Homosalate at #3 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #7, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Medium
60
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −2 2 declared fragrance allergens
- −10 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- −4 Essential oils (Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil)
- −6 Sensitizers from 3 different categories
🔥
Eye sting
Medium
57
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Avobenzone at #7, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −9 Homosalate at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −6 Octisalate at #5, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −8 Fragrance
- −4 2 declared fragrance allergens
🍄
Fungal acne
Low
86
- +100 Starting score
- −14 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate)
- +0 Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate at #2, ferment, disputed Malassezia trigger (not penalized)
👕
Fabric stains
High
15
- +100 Starting score
- −45 Avobenzone at #7, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −40 Iron-oxide pigments at #31, makeup-like collar marks (washable)
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Moisture
Balanced
LightNourishing
- ← 1.5 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica)
- → 1 1 strong humectants (Ectoin)
- → 2 Humectant polyols
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Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- ← 0.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
Nothing flagged in the ingredient list.
How we rate water resistance →Skincare extras
Beneficial actives this formula contains. Informational only, not part of the rating: their effect depends on a concentration the label does not disclose.
- ✨ Green tea
- ✨ Aloe vera
- ✨ Vitamin E
Full ingredient list (31)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Legacy UV filter (Homosalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 12 UV protection
- ↑ 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant polyol
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Legacy UV filter (Octisalate)
- ↑ 7.6 UV protection
- ↑ 6 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant polyol
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone)
- ↑ 28.5 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 45 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
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Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
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16 Tocopherol
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
17 Ectoin
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
- 1 → nourishing humectant
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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20 Fragrance
Fragrance
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
pH adjuster
-
23 Silica
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
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Plant oil, an emollient
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Plant oil, an emollient
-
26 Limonene
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
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27 Linalool
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
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Supporting ingredient
-
29 Pinene
Supporting ingredient
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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31 Iron Oxides
Colorant or pigment
- ↑ 40 makeup-like collar marks (washable)
Does Tatcha Milky Sunscreen SPF 50 leave a white cast?
No, its white cast is rated low, so it generally blends in without a chalky look. The balanced, lightweight finish keeps it easy to wear daily.
Is the Tatcha Milky Sunscreen SPF 50 chemical or mineral?
It is a chemical sunscreen. It uses older-generation filters: Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (avobenzone).
Is Tatcha Milky Sunscreen good?
It scores 49 out of 100 because its measured protection is weak, despite the SPF 50 label. It is fine as a light daily cosmetic step but not a high-defense sunscreen.