Finding the Best Sunscreen for Surfing
Obviously we love surfing. You get to be active, one with the sea, and enjoy your hobby in some of the most beautiful places on the planet. One way we pay for our love of surfing is the amount of time spent in the sun. There are a million different options out there, so we thought we'd cover some of the best sunscreens for surfing.
Why Use Sunscreen?
We rarely go a week without hearing the whole "sunscreen causes cancer" from someone out in the lineup. Yes, some sunscreens contained benzene, which have since largely been recalled. Benzene is often found in spray sunscreens, and does have carcinogenic effects to humans. However, there are plenty of options without benzene that provide ample protection from UVA and UVB rays.
Research has shown repeatedly that sunscreen helps keep us safer in the sun. It reduces rates of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7759112/) and decreases photoaging in the skin (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8361399/). That is, sunscreen both protects us from skin cancer and keeps us from prematurely aging.
It's important to note how sunscreen, sunburns, and aging work. There's a good episode of Stuff You Should Know on Sunburn, Suntans, and Sunscreen that we like to recommend to people if you're a podcast listener. The important piece is that you can get sunburned without it being a really hot day. And furthermore, sunscreen isn't 100% effective against sunburn. It helps, but won't completely save you.
Sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancer are all caused by the presence of UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays are the majority of the radiation, while UVB are a small portion that really only reaches the outer layers of your skin. On a cloudy or even cold day with a high UV Index, you can get super sunburned. Temperature is not what causes harm, UV rays are. Sunscreen helps block some of these rays for a period of time, protecting your body.
Choosing the Right Sunscreen for Surfing
Okay, we have it out of the way that sunscreen helps protect us. But how do we actually choose the best sunscreen for surfing? There are several things we need to consider like SPF and UV protection, ingredients and their safety for marine life and our bodies, and of course how well they stay on our bodies in the waves.
SPF and UV Protection
The term SPF you see on every container of sunscreen is the Sun Protection Factor. The SPF number is a measure of how much UVB radiation gets through. So SPF 15 means one-fifteenth of UVB rays are allowed in, which means it filters about 93%. SPF 50 lets through one-fiftieth of rays, so it filters about 98% of UVB rays. The higher the SPF, the more power it has to block the harmful rays from reaching your skin.
Personally, I don't bother with sunscreen below SPF 30. I put sunscreen on every time I surf, and I use 30 or 50. The more protection, the better. As long as it meets my other requirements for surfing. And I surf and live in Mexico, where the UV index is often quite high, and sunburns are common.
Sunscreen Ingredients
On top of the SPF, it is important to consider the ingredients of your sunscreen. You should do this for a couple of reasons: to make sure you are using reef-friendly sunscreen, and to make sure your sunscreen is safe for your own skin. Sunscreen is responsible for a shocking amount of coral bleaching, and we can really protect marine life by making the simple decision to protect ourselves with mineral sunscreen.
There are many ingredients in a lot of common brands of sunscreen, and a lot of them can be harmful to ocean life. Here are a few ingredients you want to avoid:
Oxybenzone
Octinoxate
Octocrylene
Benzophenone-2
Triclosan
Homosalate
4-methylbenzylidene camphor
PABA
Parabens
Triclosan
Nano-sized particles (we often find labels such as “non-nano” or “micro” sized to be good)
Microplastics like exfoliating beads
Aerosolized or spray sunscreens
Oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, benzopenone-2, triclosan, homosalate, 4-methylbenxylidene camphor, PABA, parabens, and triclosan are all ingredients that harm coral reefs and marine life. In varying ways, these chemicals are metabolized by coral in ways that cause lasting harm. Octinoxate, for example, degrades in the water into benzophenone. It is a hormone disruptor and carcinogen that causes deformities in young coral and coral larvae. In addition, it damages the DNA strands and causes problems with coral skeletal growth.
The topic of nano-sized particles is partially debated. Research has shown that nano-sized particles can be absorbed into the skin, causing harm to the body. Although titanium dioxide is harmless in small amounts, too much absorption into the skin can have carcinogenic effects. If it is a spray, the nanoparticles can irritate the eyes, nose, and intestinal tract. In addition, aerosols are bad for the environment in general, so stick to cream!
I used to love microplastics. I know, that's shameful to admit. But when I was young and had acne, my facewash with the little exfoliating beads were the only thing that kept my face acne-free. Although they may work for their exfoliating properties, they are clearly not eco-friendly. The tiny beads end up in the water, and contributes to the presence of plastic in our oceans.
All of these ingredients can be harmful to coral reefs. The Coral Reef Alliance has a more complete list on their website. We recommend looking for sunscreen that is mineral-based. Mineral sunscreens use ingredients like zinc or titanium to provide broad-spectrum protection that is eco-friendly. They are much gentler on the skin and wildlife in general than chemical disturbances, better for sensitive skin or those that need hypoallergenic sunscreen, and don't case the hormonal disturbances. We use non-nano zinc oxide as our first choice, and titanium dioxide as our second choice.
Water Resistance
Finally, we consider the water resistance. Sunscreen is great, but if it comes off as soon as we're in the water it is a bit useless. You can look for water-resistant labels, but these may not always be accurate to how well they will stay on during a surf session. You want something that stays on the skin, providing the UVA and UVB protection without immediately washing off.
Broad-spectrum sunscreen that stays on your skin during a surf session may be hard to find. You also want some eye-friendly sunscreen, as that feeling of sunscreen burning your eyes while you're out there waiting in the lineup is horrible. One thing we do to combat this is use a thick foundation of sunscreen. We also mix most sunscreens witha little bit of extra zinc oxide. Nothing sticks like zinc, so it helps it stay on during the session.
I have been made fun of for this, but I will frequently get out of the water and dry off to reapply sunscreen. The reapplication guidelines are generally to refresh your sunscreen every two hours. Especially if you're at a break close to the beach, it just takes a few minutes to paddle back to shore, reapply, let it set, and get back in the water. Also a good chance to get some water or have a protein bar!
Our Favorite Surf Sunscreens
We live in Mexico, so don't quite have all of the options available that people in the US or Canada might. But we have found some solid options. Here are a few of our favorite sunscreens we use regularly or pack on a surf trip.
ALL GOOD
This is the sunscreen we actually use on a day-to-day basis. To be honest, I'm not sure it's the best, but we like it and it is available where we live. They have SPF30 and SPF50 mineral-based sunscreen in creams and sprays, but we recommend the creams. It has broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays, and it's super water resistant. It goes on smooth, is cruelty-free, made from non-nano particle zinc oxide, is paraben free, and super friendly for hypoallergenic skin. They are also a climate-neutral company and women-owned. If you like their sunscreen, you also might like their lip balm and other products!
Badger Sunscreen
Badger isn't available where we live, but it is what we used when we lived in the US. And we often buy it when we visit family there. Their sunscreens are a tiny bit thicker, but they do use clear zinc at least! Made specifically for sports, it sticks on the skin super well in the water. With only 9 ingredients maximum, this mineral-based sunscreen is hypoallergenic and comes in an awesome little reusable tin to be extra eco-friendly.
Thinkbaby
This is the sunscreen we use for our young children. To be honest, I also use it sometimes when I can't find or forgot my own sunscreen. It's mineral-based, gentle on the skin, and fast absorbing. I will say it doesn't stick on the skin quite as well as the Badger or All Good, but it still is way above par in water resistance. It is zinc-oxide based, very lightly and organically scented, and the bottle goes an impressively long way!
When you're planning your surf trip, make sure to consider the sunscreen you're using! In a lot of surf spots you'll find plenty of sunscreen options, including eco-friendly non-nano zinc options. But sometimes all that can be found are the chemical-based sunscreens from big brands, so we recommend bringing your own!