8 *Incredibly* Water-Resistant Sunscreens for Your Next Beachy Vacay

So you’ve got a beach vacay planned—or you live near the water—and wanna keep your skin super safe with the best sunscreen. First, I’m so jealous. Second, I gotchu! But let’s talk about it: Are sunscreens really waterproof anyway? Per the FDA, nah. When sunscreen manufacturers market their products, they can only call them water *resistant* based on a formal test. Depending on how they perform in water and/or significant sweating, brands can market products as water-resistant for either 40 or 80 minutes.

Before buying sunscreen, you should explore your skin type and unique challenges (I have sensitive skin that reacts to certain ingredients, for example). Knowing this will help you determine which type of sunscreen will work best for you—and you still might wanna do a little skin patch test if you’re worried.

Here’s what to look for (I know it’s a pain, but it’s really important to read the labels, bbs):

• Broad spectrum: This means the sunscreen protects against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays—which is important because UVA rays are more harmful and more common but you can’t feel them.
• Reef friendly: There are a bunch of chemicals that are known pollutants posing a threat to the environment or water wildlife. Microplastics and oxybenzone are two of the more common ingredients; so is nano zinc oxide. Usually, “reef safe” will be on the packaging if the product doesn’t contain any of these chemicals.
• Sun protection factor (SPF): This is how well the sunscreen protects against UVB rays. Products with an SPF higher than 50 are misleading because they don’t necessarily offer significantly more protection. Instead, look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen, read the label to see when you need to reapply, and know whether you get water resistance for 40 or 80 minutes. Side note: It’s always a good idea to reapply after you’ve been in the sun for two hours, k?
• Chemical or physical/mineral: This is basically how the sunscreen works. Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays into the skin and convert them into heat. Physical sunscreens sit on the skin and reflect UV rays. Physical sunscreen is usually heavier and can leave a white residue; zinc oxide and/or titanium oxide are often the main ingredients and can be gentler on sensitive skin. Chemical sunscreen is lighter and may offer more UVA protection but can cause irritation, depending on the person.

Because ILYSM, I did the work of identifying what sunscreens reviewers absolutely love. So feast your eyes on these eight best water-resistant sunscreens, and get ready to go swimming (or lie on that pool float for hours!).