Your Beach Skincare Ritual: Before, During and After the Sun

For us, skincare isn’t about correcting imperfections. It’s about nurturing your skin and creating small moments of care — and nowhere matters more than at the beach, where sun, salt, chlorine and wind all ask a lot of it. Here’s a simple ritual in three parts.

Please note: this is general skincare guidance, not medical advice. If you have a skin condition, are taking medication that makes you sensitive to light, or notice changes in a mole, speak to your GP or pharmacist.

Before: prepare and protect

Choose your sunscreen well. The NHS recommends a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to protect against UVB, and at least 4-star UVA protection — star ratings go up to 5, and higher is better. If you’re going to be in the water, choose one labelled water-resistant.

Use more than you think. Most of us apply far too little. Adults need around 6 to 8 teaspoons to cover the whole body, and applying it too thinly reduces the protection it gives. If you’ll be out long enough to risk burning, apply it about 30 minutes before you go out, and again just before.

Check the date. Look for the open-jar symbol showing how many months a product lasts once opened. Last summer’s half-used bottle may not be doing its job.

Don’t forget the easy-to-miss places: the tops of your ears, the back of your neck, your hairline and parting, the tops of your feet, and anywhere your swimsuit straps might shift.

During: reapply, shade, repeat

• Reapply about every two hours — and always straight after swimming, towelling dry or sweating, even if the bottle says water-resistant. Water washes sunscreen off.
• Find shade in the strongest hours. The NHS advises spending time in the shade between 11am and 3pm in the UK from March to October — and the sun is stronger still closer to the equator, as anyone who has spent a day on a beach in Rio will know.
• Remember the water reflects UV. Being in the sea or pool can make you burn without noticing, because the water keeps you cool.
• Layer up with what you wear. A wide-brimmed hat protects your face and scalp better than sunscreen alone. Sunglasses with wraparound lenses and the CE mark protect your eyes, and a light cover-up or canga is the most elegant sun protection there is.
• Drink water. Hot days by the sea dehydrate you faster than you’d expect.

After: rinse, soothe, nourish

Rinse off salt and chlorine. A cool, fresh-water shower after swimming leaves skin — and hair — feeling far more comfortable. It’s good for your swimwear, too: chlorine and salt left to dry in the fabric break down elastane over time.

Cleanse gently. At the end of the day, wash away sunscreen, sand and sweat with a mild cleanser and lukewarm water. Skip harsh scrubs on sun-exposed skin.

Replenish moisture. Sun, wind and salt water all leave skin feeling tight. A simple, fragrance-free moisturiser or after-sun lotion helps it feel soft and comfortable again. Body oils can add a beautiful glow once your skin has cooled down — think of them as nourishment, not protection: an oil is never a replacement for sunscreen.

Be kind to burnt skin. If you do catch too much sun, get out of it, cool your skin with a cool shower or a damp towel, drink plenty of water, and use an after-sun or an unperfumed moisturiser. Don’t pop blisters or pick peeling skin. The NHS advises asking for an urgent GP appointment or contacting NHS 111 if you have blistering or swelling, a very high temperature or chills, dizziness, nausea or a headache — and always for sunburn in a baby or young child.

The ritual, at a glance

Glowing skin isn’t about tanning. It’s about skin that feels cared for at the end of a long, golden day — ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Our beach-ritual skincare line is in development, designed to sit alongside the swimwear. Caryoca Club members will be the first to hear when it’s ready.

Sources

• NHS — Sunscreen and sun safety
• NHS — Sunburn