7 best dog sunscreens for 2023: The best products to protect your pooch

September 2024 · 10 minute read

WITH the days getting longer and the weather definitely heating up, the best time of year for dog walks is here. Be prepared for the heat though and make sure you protect your pooch from sunburn with the best dog sunscreens out there.

Summer has arrived so we should all be stocking up on sun protection – for ourselves and for our dogs. 

Their skin can burn just like ours, causing red itchy patches, and too much unprotected exposure to UV rays can lead to skin cancer – in fact, skin tumours are the most common cancers found in dogs. 

Of course, on hot days when the temperature is creeping into the mid-20s, dogs should be walked in the cooler mornings and evenings. That's not just because UV rays are at their peak between 10am and 3pm, but also to avoid potentially fatal sunstroke. 

But when you do go out, even if it’s just for a toddle round the block, stick some sun block on your pup’s nose, paw pads, tips of ears and belly – anywhere that isn’t protected by fur, basically. And, as light-coloured, thin-haired dogs like whippets and bulldogs are most at risk of sunburn, they should be covered all over.

Can dogs use human sunscreen?

A word of warning – don’t use human sun protection products on dogs as some ingredients are toxic to them. During our testing, we discovered their propensity to lick their noses when the cream is applied, so using anything potentially poisonous is not a great idea.

Luckily there are several excellent doggie sunscreens and sprays on the market and we’ve taken them to our local park to test the best. Stay cool pups!

Best dog sunscreens at a glance:

Hemp by Hownd Skin, Nose and Paw Balm

Pros: Organic, vegan, moisturising

Most read in Product Reviews

Cons: Lickable, quite expensive

Rating: 4/5

Barrier against the sun in summer and salve for rough paw pads in winter, this honey-coloured balm covers noses and paws in a thin, non-greasy layer.

It doesn’t smell but it obviously tastes good as our tester, Stout the Labradoodle, licked off our first few attempts at application on her snout. Luckily it’s in a cute little tin, so it's easy to carry around all day and reapply when needed. 

Everything in the balm is vegan and the main ingredient is organic hemp seed oil which contains Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids to nourish the skin (hemp seed oil is used in lots of human moisturisers, too).

It also contains Candelilla wax (a vegan alternative to Beeswax), Calendula, which has skin-smoothing properties, Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter and Vitamin E.

We love Hownd’s ethos, which is all about caring for dogs and the planet. All its products are vegan – even its food, with exotic recipes like Hearty Quinoa and Pumpkin Casserole and Fragrant Papaya and Lentil Dal. So, even though the price point for the balm is quite high, we’re happy to pay for a product that doesn’t cost the earth. 

Size: 50g SPF: Yes Spray or cream? Balm Multi-function? Yes

Aniwell Filtabac

Pros: Absorbs quickly, protects like a second skin, soothes sunburn, good for irritated skin, works on other animals also

Cons: Lickable

Rating: 4.5/5

Aniwell Filtabac antibacterial cream protects your pup on several fronts – it acts as a second skin against the sun, soothes sunburn and irritated skin in general and covers wounds to protect them from infection. Oh, and it works on horses, goats, sheep and cows too.

So how did it fare on a sunny morning with the dogs in the park? At first glance, the thick white cream looked as if it would take a minute or two to fully rub into our tester Attlee’s snout but it melted down to a thin protective layer within five seconds.

He licked it, of course, so it took a couple of applications but happily returned from the park half an hour later with a squidgy, wet and sunburn-free snout.

Filtabac, made in New Zealand, has been around since 1970 and its main ingredient is titanium dioxide. Alongside the 50g tube, it’s available in larger sizes, which is cost-efficient if you have more than one dog, or horses.

Size: 50g SPF: 29-33 Spray or cream? Cream Multi-function? Yes

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Petkin Doggy Sunmist Spray

Pros: Easy to apply, smells lovely

Cons: Some dogs dislike being sprayed

Rating: 4.5/5

Spraying in a fine white spritz, Petkin Doggy Sunmist has a lovely coconutty smell and an SPF of 15. As it’s a spray, this is especially effective for dogs who need all-over protection as they can have a good blast of it across their bodies. And it’s easy to reapply which is handy for owners whose dogs like to swim – just whip it out of your bag when woofer emerges from the water and spritz.

Unfortunately, our tester Rosie, a white Saluki/whippet, wasn’t keen on being sprayed. So we put it on our hands and rubbed it into her coat. She didn’t even attempt to lick it off, which was a win, and the other dogs in the park seemed unconcerned – we had wondered if they might all try to lick her as she smelled so good.

Strangely, considering Rosie smelled like coconut, the Sunmist doesn’t contain any – the main ingredients are octinoxate, octisalate and oxybenzone.

The Petkin sun protection range also includes sun wipes and sunstick but we’d recommend the mist as it’s easy and quick to use and, at less than £9, a bit of a bargain.

Size: 120ml SPF: 15 Spray or cream? Spray Multi-function? No

Warren London Dog Sunscreen with Aloe Vera

Pros: Easy to apply, cooling, good for itchy skin

Cons: Lickable

Rating: 4/5

This clear-coloured spray felt really refreshing when we tested it on our arm, like a cooling spritz, and our canine tester Attlee didn’t object to being squirted, so we guess it felt good to him too.

The orange oil gives the product a citrussy smell which we thought might deter him from licking it off his nose – it didn’t. So, again, we had to be persistent with a few sprays to feel confident he was protected.

Attlee suffers from allergies and has a very itchy belly so we decided to test the cooling properties of the aloe vera the spray contains. Result – it stopped him scratching so, when the heatwave’s over, we’ll carry on using this to alleviate itches.

Size: 120ml Spray or cream? Spray Multi-function? Yes

Be:sunsafe Dog Sunscreen Balm

Pros: natural ingredients, non-greasy, keeps insects away

Cons: takes a while to soften, lickable

Rating: 3.5/5

Our canine tester Attlee loves accompanying us to the pub on sunny evenings and, wearing Be:sunsafe balm, he’s always invited as the Citronella wards off pesky insects. And, as it’s been tested on humans, we can wear it too. But is it as effective at warding off the sun in the park? 

Be: Sunsafe is one of a range of balms for dogs made from natural ingredients by Be:Loved – it also produces a range of vegan dog shampoo bars. The sunscreen contains vitamins A, E and F, Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Chamomile, Lavender, Carrot Seed and Raspberry Seed Oil as well as Citronella so it smells lovely, unless you’re an insect.  

It took us a few seconds of rubbing between our fingers to soften enough to apply to Attlee’s nose but when we did it was non-greasy and smooth. Obviously, he licked our first application off but some balm remained and we were confident he was, as the name promises, sun safe with an SPF of 15. 

Size: 60g SPF: 15 Spray or cream? Balm Multi-function? Yes

Biteback Products Sweet Sun Relief Midge Barrier Cream

Pros: high SPF, keeps midges away, can be used on horses

Cons: large pot to carry round, lickable

Rating: 4.5/5

This stuff looks professional – it’s white, it’s gloopy with an SPF of 30 and a faint antiseptic smell. (Apparently, that’s caused by something called bog myrtle oil.) But, as it wards off the infamous Scottish midgies as well as the sun, it needs to be tough. Oh, and it works on horses too.

We spread a thick layer on our tester Attlee’s nose – of course, he had a few licks but a white sheen remained, like the chalk at the top of a snooker queue, so we knew it was there, acting as a barrier against the sun. And his nose was still chalky white after half an hour in the park, so it lasts.

Our only issue was that as it comes in such bumper pot sizes it was a bit unwieldy to carry around. Simply solved – we decanted some into a smaller pot.

Size: 250g SPF: 30 Spray or cream? Cream Multi-function? Yes

Lecon Princess Pet Hat

Pros: breathable fabric, cute

Cons: moves around when your dog walks

Rating: 3/5

There’s plenty to recommend the Princess Pet Hat – it’s made of breathable mesh fabric, comes in four different colours and is pretty darn cute.

Unfortunately, even though our tester Solomon sat biddably enough while we looped his long ears through the holes and tightened the drawstring toggle under his chin, he didn’t like walking around wearing it. So it flopped about on his head, providing variable levels of shade.

Our conclusion: hats might work as sun protection for dogs who simply want to laze around, but if your mutt's on the move they’re not secure enough. We’re definitely hanging on to the hat for the Easter Bonnet parade, though.

Size: Small, medium and large SPF: No Spray or cream? N/A Multi-function? No

Which dog sunscreen is the best?

We’d recommend using one of the sprays across your dog’s body and rubbing a thicker sunscreen into their nose and ear tips for all-over protection.

All the products we trialled protected our dogs’ noses from sunburn but we’ll probably stock up on the ones that have other functions as well as sunblock, like the Hownd to soothe paw pads or the anti-itch Warren London.

And, for our next holiday to Scotland, we’re packing a lorry load of Biteback’s Sweet Sun Relief Midge Barrier Cream.

How to apply dog sunscreen

Just like humans, dogs are prone to getting burnt on pretty much any area that is exposed to the sun. So you'll want to apply dog sunscreen to your pooch's nose, tummy and anywhere else that isn't protected by fur such as paw pads and tips of ears.

Application-wise, just massage a bit of product into your hands and apply directly to the area, making sure to rub in so it has absorbed.

For thin-haired dogs, or canines going in and out of the water, you might find it more practical to go for a spray which will allow you to apply an all-over spritz.

If in doubt, check out the RSPCA Animal welfare advice for summer for more guidance on how to keep your pet safe in the heat.

Where to buy dog sunscreen?

When putting together this guide, we found the majority of our test products at Amazon but also check out Pets at Home and other online pet retailers for their ranges.

We'd also recommend checking out your local pet store, which will be likely to stock dog sunscreen.

How much do dog sunscreens cost?

Sunscreen for dogs varies in price, much the same as it does for people.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

The products we reviewed range in price from around £8 up to almost £16, but you will be able to find cheaper and more expensive products on the market.

Price can depend on several factors including ingredients, the SPF level, the product size and whether or not the sunscreen is multi-function – for example, does it protect paws in the winter, or help soothe irritated skin.

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