Multi-store beta: source-backed price checks across national retailers and regional grocery stores.Current pricesToilet paper deals
Back to price guides

Beauty product price guide

Sunscreen Price Comparison: SPF and Cost per Ounce

Compare sunscreen prices across Ulta, Sephora, major retailers, drugstores, grocery stores, value stores, and clubs after matching the exact formula, size, shade, and format.

Compare live pricesCheck weekly adsAmazon options (paid link)

Published July 26, 2026 · Reviewed July 26, 2026

By the Price Scout Editorial Team · Review our methodology

Scout comparing sunscreen prices across beauty retailers

Direct answer

How to compare sunscreen fairly

Sunscreen is best compared by price per fluid ounce within the same SPF, mineral or chemical class, application format, and water-resistance claim.

Primary metric
Price per fluid ounce within the same SPF and format
Calculation
Package price divided by fluid ounces = price per fluid ounce
Fair-comparison rule
Match SPF, broad-spectrum claim, mineral or chemical formula, face or body use, lotion, stick, or spray format, and water resistance.
Calculate a unit price

Best places to buy

Best places to buy sunscreen

Start with Amazon affiliate options for delivery and subscriptions, then cross-check Walmart, Target, and Costco source pages for pickup, promos, bulk packs, and final checkout terms.

Affiliate clicks and retailer source clicks are tracked separately.
Final price, delivery, pickup, rewards, and seller details can change at checkout.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Price Scout may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AAmazon shopping optionAmazonAffiliateBest for: Subscribe & Save, Prime delivery, multipacks, and quick brand comparisons.Paid research link. Confirm seller, authenticity, size, shade or scent, return terms, and final checkout total.Shop sunscreen on AmazonUBest beauty-store checkUltaSourceBest for: Specialty assortment, shade or scent selection, loyalty offers, pickup, and brand-specific promotions.Some higher-end brands are excluded from coupons; gifts with purchase, points, and online-only offers can also change the effective value.Check Ulta beautySBest prestige-beauty checkSephoraSourceBest for: Specialty assortment, shade or scent selection, loyalty offers, pickup, and brand-specific promotions.Some higher-end brands are excluded from coupons; gifts with purchase, points, and online-only offers can also change the effective value.Check Sephora beautyTBest for Circle offersTargetSourceBest for: Broad everyday assortment, store promotions, pickup, and a useful major-retailer price baseline.Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.Check Target dealsWBest pickup baselineWalmartSourceBest for: Broad everyday assortment, store promotions, pickup, and a useful major-retailer price baseline.Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.Check Walmart pickupCBest ExtraCare checkCVSSourceBest for: Drugstore coupons, rewards, local pickup, and widely distributed beauty brands.Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.Check CVS deals

Research methodology

How Price Scout compares sunscreen

The goal is to compare verifiable retailer-source information without presenting unlike package prices as equivalent deals.

Every displayed retailer price includes a source link and retrieval timestamp.

Unit values are compared only when package size and unit type can be normalized reliably.

Different formulas, sizes, counts, scents, and fulfillment terms remain separate comparison considerations.

Amazon is an outbound paid-link option only; this guide does not display Amazon prices, ratings, reviews, images, or availability.

Cached price trackerSee current indexed sunscreen pricesOpen trackerWalmart category pageSee current Walmart sunscreen pricesOpen Walmart page

Match the exact product

Use price per fluid ounce within the same SPF and format only after the formula, format, shade or scent, and package size are comparable.

Apply rewards last

Compare the current shelf or online price first, then apply coupons, points, gift-card offers, membership value, and shipping thresholds.

Verify the retailer page

Open the source listing before checkout to confirm the exact item, local availability, seller, promotion eligibility, and final cart.

Current source-backed signals

Cached prices Price Scout already has

These cards reuse saved Walmart deal data and trending comparisons when available, giving you a recent starting point before you open retailer pages.

No cached sunscreen prices are available right now. The guide still works as an evergreen shopping checklist, and visitors can run a live search when they need current local prices.

What to compare

  • Compare face, body, mineral, chemical, sport, and kids formulas; lotion, cream, gel, stick, and spray formats; SPF level, water-resistance window, and broad-spectrum claim.
  • Use price per fluid ounce within the same SPF and format only when the products are otherwise defensibly similar.
  • Match the exact brand, product line, shade or scent, formula, size, count, and bundle contents.
  • Separate full-size products, minis, testers, discovery sets, gift sets, and multipacks.
  • Check pickup, delivery, shipping, marketplace seller, rewards, coupons, and return terms before naming a winner.

Timing tips

  • Check major retailers, drugstores, grocery stores, and clubs before summer stock-up trips, then verify expiration and multipack size.
  • Check Ulta and Sephora loyalty events, then compare the same item at major retailers, drugstores, grocery stores, value stores, and clubs.
  • Recheck limited-time gifts, buy-more-save-more offers, and digital coupons because they may require a threshold or exclude some higher-end brands.
  • Confirm the final cart on the retailer site because ZIP code, shade availability, pickup location, and seller can change the result.

Stores to check

Where to compare sunscreen

Use these as starting points, then confirm final checkout price, fulfillment, and stock on the retailer site.

U

Ulta

Best for: Specialty assortment, shade or scent selection, loyalty offers, pickup, and brand-specific promotions.

Watch: Some higher-end brands are excluded from coupons; gifts with purchase, points, and online-only offers can also change the effective value.

Open source
S

Sephora

Best for: Specialty assortment, shade or scent selection, loyalty offers, pickup, and brand-specific promotions.

Watch: Some higher-end brands are excluded from coupons; gifts with purchase, points, and online-only offers can also change the effective value.

Open source
T

Target

Best for: Broad everyday assortment, store promotions, pickup, and a useful major-retailer price baseline.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
W

Walmart

Best for: Broad everyday assortment, store promotions, pickup, and a useful major-retailer price baseline.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
C

CVS

Best for: Drugstore coupons, rewards, local pickup, and widely distributed beauty brands.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
W

Walgreens

Best for: Drugstore coupons, rewards, local pickup, and widely distributed beauty brands.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
P

Publix

Best for: Combining beauty basics with a grocery trip and checking weekly-ad or loyalty pricing.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
K

Kroger

Best for: Combining beauty basics with a grocery trip and checking weekly-ad or loyalty pricing.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
D

Dollar General

Best for: Broad everyday assortment, store promotions, pickup, and a useful major-retailer price baseline.

Watch: Confirm the exact product, shade or scent, seller, local stock, coupon eligibility, and final checkout total.

Open source
C

Costco

Best for: Multipacks, larger sizes, member pricing, and limited rotating beauty assortments.

Watch: Membership, package size, limited assortment, and online versus warehouse pricing must be included.

Open source
S

Sam's Club

Best for: Multipacks, larger sizes, member pricing, and limited rotating beauty assortments.

Watch: Membership, package size, limited assortment, and online versus warehouse pricing must be included.

Open source
B

BJ's

Best for: Multipacks, larger sizes, member pricing, and limited rotating beauty assortments.

Watch: Membership, package size, limited assortment, and online versus warehouse pricing must be included.

Open source

Common buying mistakes

  • Mixing self-tanner, after-sun lotion, tanning oil without SPF, and bug spray; foundation, lip balm, or moisturizer where SPF is only a secondary feature into the same comparison.
  • Ranking two products as equivalent when the shade, scent, active ingredients, concentration, or finish differs.
  • Treating a mini, tester, refill, gift set, or marketplace listing as the same package as a standard retail item.
  • Counting rewards at full value when they expire, require another purchase, or cannot be used on the compared item.

Before you make the trip

Run a fresh source-backed check when the cart matters.

The guide helps you decide what to inspect. The live comparison is for current local prices, current stock, and final retailer source links.

Compare live prices

Frequently asked questions

Where should I compare sunscreen prices?

Start with Ulta and Sephora for specialty assortment, then check Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, grocery stores, value stores, and clubs that carry the exact sunscreen product in your ZIP code.

What is the fairest way to compare sunscreen?

Match the exact brand, line, formula, shade or scent, format, and size first. Price per fluid ounce within the same SPF and format is a secondary value check, not proof that different formulas perform the same.

Should coupons and loyalty points count as savings?

Count an immediate coupon when it applies to the exact item. Count points or future rewards only when you expect to use them before expiration and can meet any redemption rules.

Does Price Scout use retailer sources for these comparisons?

Price Scout checks its retailer product index and supported retailer APIs first, then provides official retailer search links when a reliable current price is not available.

Related Price Scout pages

Compare beauty prices nowCompare Ulta vs SephoraBrowse Ulta price checksBrowse Sephora price checksRead the price comparison methodology

Retailer source links

Ulta sunscreen searchSephora sunscreen searchTarget sunscreen searchWalmart sunscreen searchCVS sunscreen searchWalgreens sunscreen searchPublix sunscreen searchKroger sunscreen searchDollar General sunscreen searchCostco sunscreen searchSam's Club sunscreen searchBJ's sunscreen searchDollar Tree sunscreen searchAlbertsons sunscreen searchSafeway sunscreen searchWinn-Dixie sunscreen search

Continue comparing

Related household price guides

Compare the rest of a repeat-purchase basket with the same source, category, and unit-quality rules.

Price guideFragrance Price Comparison: Size, Concentration, and SetsPrice guideHair Conditioner Price Comparison: Cost per OuncePrice guideDry Shampoo Price Comparison: Size and Formula

Compare retailers

Where to shop for sunscreen

These retailer guides combine shopping-workflow advice with compatible source-backed unit-price samples when both stores have current data.

Store comparisonUlta vs SephoraStore comparisonWalmart vs UltaStore comparisonWalmart vs Sephora