A mineral sunscreen feels heavy and suffocating — where do I start?

Powder form, oil structure, film former — in that order. Cutting the filter load is the last resort, because it costs protection.

Powder first. A pre-dispersion spreads more evenly than powder dispersed in situ and removes the agglomerates that read as drag. A treated grade — silane or silicone — disperses better in the oil phase and lowers oil absorption, so viscosity drops and the film feels lighter at the same solids.

Then the oil phase: less high-viscosity oil, more light esters such as C12-15 alkyl benzoate or dicaprylyl carbonate. Dimethicone gives slip but reads as a film if overused.

Then the film former, which is what actually decides how occlusive the product feels. Choose one with good breathability and an appropriate glass transition rather than the thickest film available.

Only then consider lowering total solids, and if you do, replace the lost UVB with ZnO for UVA or a small amount of organic filter — both change what you can claim. Judge the result on a sensory panel scoring spread, tack, residue and shine; instrument data will not tell you whether people will wear it.