Sunscreen for surfing should be labeled broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher and water resistant, the three things the American Academy of Dermatology recommends, and go on dry skin 15 minutes before you head outdoors. Then come in to reapply after 40 or 80 minutes of swimming or sweating (your label says which), immediately after towel drying and at least every 2 hours, the directions the FDA's sunscreen labeling rule, 21 CFR 201.327, requires on a water-resistant label. The SPF 30 floor is the Academy's; the minutes and the reapply lines are the label's.
A session keeps the same skin in the sun for as long as you stay out, with little shade on the water. If you surf late in the morning or around midday, you are out in the hours the FDA singles out, "between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun's rays are most intense." Paddling face down turns the back of your neck, your shoulders and the backs of your legs to the sky; sitting up between waves turns your face and the tops of your thighs to it.
This page is about sunscreen for surfers on US labels: the words to look for, putting it on before a session, when to come in and reapply, keeping it on the beach, surfing in Hawaii, and what to wear with it. It does not rank products, and the directions on your own sunscreen govern.
What is the best sunscreen for surfing?
The one whose label shows three things: broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, and water resistance. We do not rank brands. Those are the three the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends, and each has set wording on a US label:
- Broad Spectrum. Look on the front panel for "Broad Spectrum SPF" and a number (201.327(a)(1)(i)(A)). The FDA explains: "Only products that pass the FDA's broad-spectrum requirements, and therefore protect against both UVB and UVA exposure, can be labeled 'broad spectrum.'"
- SPF 30 or higher. SPF stands for sun protection factor. The AAD sets the floor at 30: it "recommends that you select a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 or higher."
- Water Resistant (40 minutes) or Water Resistant (80 minutes). These are the only two water-resistance statements the rule allows on the front panel (201.327(a)(2)). In the FDA's words, "Water resistance claims, for 40 or 80 minutes, tell you how much time you can expect to get the labeled SPF-level of protection while swimming or sweating."
The minutes are a tested rating. The FDA says sunscreens labeled water resistant "must be tested and found to be water resistant according to the required test procedures." The rule sets out that test in 201.327(i)(7): 20-minute periods of moderate activity in the water, with 15-minute rests out of the water in between and no toweling, two periods for a 40-minute claim and four for an 80-minute claim.
On a long session, an 80-minute claim gives you more water time before the label asks you to reapply. See what 40 and 80 minutes of water resistance mean.
A sunscreen that has not passed that test reads differently. Its label must instead say "reapply at least every 2 hours" and "use a water resistant sunscreen if swimming or sweating" (201.327(e)(4)).
On which type to pick, the AAD is brief: "The best type of sunscreen is the one you will use again and again." Those three label checks are what to look for in a sunscreen for surfing, and they answer the same question for any water sport. Our water-resistance guide covers which water claims a sunscreen label may make.
What do surfers wear for sunscreen?
Sunscreen on all the skin a wetsuit, rash guard or boardshorts leave bare, and clothing over the rest. The AAD's direction is simple: "Apply sunscreen to all skin not covered by clothing." A rash guard counts as clothing here; there is more on it in what else protects surfers from the sun.
The form is up to you. The AAD says: "The kind of sunscreen you use is a matter of personal choice and may vary depending on the area of the body to be protected. Available sunscreen options include lotions, creams, gels, ointments, wax sticks, and sprays."
To tell what type of sunscreen it is, read the Active ingredient line in the Drug Facts box. In the AAD's words, "If the active ingredient in your sunscreen is titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or both, you have a physical sunscreen," which is often called a mineral sunscreen. On Maui, that same line decides what you may apply: see surfing in Hawaii.
Why do surfers get sunburned?
Because a session keeps you in the sun with little shade on the water, and water and sand bounce the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays back at you.
The EPA's sun safety tips say: "Water, snow and sand reflect the damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chance of sunburn." The World Health Organization's guide to the UV index, in its section on ground reflection, says UV radiation is "reflected or scattered to varying extents by different surfaces," and gives the share of UV reflected by two you meet on a surf beach: "dry beach sand about 15% and sea foam about 25%."
The same guide sets common beliefs about UV beside the facts, in a table it calls "UV radiation danger: Facts and fiction." Two of its rows belong on a surf trip:
| What people say | What the WHO's guide says |
|---|---|
| “You can’t get sunburnt while in the water.” | “Water offers only minimal protection from UV radiation, and reflections from water can enhance your UV radiation exposure.” |
| “You can’t get sunburnt on a cloudy day.” | “Up to 80% of solar UV radiation can penetrate light cloud cover. Haze in the atmosphere can even increase UV radiation exposure.” |
On the beach, the EPA's shadow check works without a watch: "If your shadow is shorter than you are (around midday), you are being exposed to higher levels of UV radiation." On a board, paddling and waiting turn different skin to the sky, and sunscreen for surfing has to reach all of it; the spots are listed in the next section.
How should you put on sunscreen before surfing?
On dry skin, liberally, 15 minutes before you head outdoors, on all skin your suit leaves bare.
- Dry skin, 15 minutes before. The AAD says: "Apply sunscreen to dry skin 15 minutes before going outdoors." The FDA explains why you wait: "Apply 15 minutes before sun exposure. This allows the sunscreen to have enough time to provide the maximum benefit." On a surf day, that means before you walk down to the water, not at the water's edge.
- Liberally. Labels tell you to apply "liberally" or "generously" (201.327(e)(1)(ii)), and the Academy notes that many people apply only 20 to 50 percent of the amount needed to reach the SPF on the label. For the amounts, see how much sunscreen to use.
- All bare skin. The AAD's reminder: "Remember your neck, face, ears, tops of your feet, and legs." For your back, it suggests you "ask someone to help you". The order for the whole body is in putting sunscreen on your whole body.
- The FDA's "Frequently forgotten spots". Ears, nose, lips (use SPF lip balm), back of neck, hands, tops of feet, along the hairline, and exposed scalp (from balding or thinning hair). The AAD adds: "To protect your lips, apply a lip balm with an SPF of at least 30."
- The spots a board adds. Paddling face down exposes the back of your neck, your shoulders and upper back, and the backs of your legs and knees. Sitting up between waves exposes your face and the tops of your thighs. Then there is the skin at the neck, wrist and ankle edges of a wetsuit or rash guard: put sunscreen on before you suit up, so those edges are done. More in spots people miss.
- Eyes. Every sunscreen label carries the same warning: "keep out of eyes. Rinse with water to remove." (201.327(d)(1)(ii)).
When should you reapply sunscreen while surfing?
After your label's 40 or 80 minutes in the water, right after towel drying, and at least every 2 hours. The rule's reapply direction for a water-resistant sunscreen reads: "reapply: after [40 minutes of / 80 minutes of] swimming or sweating; immediately after towel drying; at least every 2 hours" (201.327(e)(3)). On a surf day, it falls like this:
| When | What to do | The label line |
|---|---|---|
| Before you head outdoors | Put it on dry skin, 15 minutes ahead | “apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure” |
| Out for your label’s 80 minutes (40 on a 40-minute label) | Come in and reapply | “after 80 [or 40] minutes of swimming or sweating” |
| On the sand, toweling off | Reapply right away | “immediately after towel drying” |
| Two hours since you last put it on, wet or dry | Reapply | “at least every 2 hours” |
Between sessions the clock keeps running: if you rest on the sand and go out again, the 2-hour line still counts from when you last put it on. Note the time you first go into the water after you put it on, so you know when your label's minutes are up.
The AAD's advice points back to the label: "When outdoors, reapply sunscreen approximately every two hours, or after swimming or sweating, according to the directions on the bottle." For the general schedule, see reapplying after swimming or sweating and a reapply routine for a day outside.
Where should you keep sunscreen between sessions?
In the shade on the beach, wrapped in a towel, ready for when you come in.
That is the FDA's advice: "Protect the sunscreen by wrapping the containers in towels or keeping them in the shade while outside in the heat for long periods of time. This is why sunscreen labels must say: 'Protect the product in this container from excessive heat and direct sun.'" The rule puts that line under "Other information" on the label (201.327(f)).
Sunscreen does not have to ride in a bottle: a small tube, a stick or a sealed single-use packet works too, and a packet leaves nothing to recap.
Then pack out. The NOAA Marine Debris Program's advice for the shore: "Leave behind only footprints. Make sure you leave with all the containers, toys, and beach chairs you came with." Carry every empty tube or packet out with the rest of your trash.
Surfing in Hawaii: what to check on the label
Check the Active ingredient line: Hawaii's state law limits what may be sold, and Maui County's ordinance also limits what may be used.
Statewide. Hawaii Revised Statutes §342D-21(a), added by Act 104 of 2018, makes it unlawful, beginning 1 January 2021, to sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in the State any sunscreen that contains oxybenzone or octinoxate, or both, without a prescription. It reaches sale, not use. The full text is on our page on Hawaii's sunscreen law.
Maui County. Ordinance 5306, which created chapter 20.42 of the Maui County Code, took effect on 1 October 2022. It defines a non-mineral sunscreen as "any sunscreen that uses an active ingredient other than zinc oxide and titanium dioxide," and its use rule reads:
Any non-mineral sunscreen must not be used or applied by any person, unless the sunscreen is from a prescription issued by a licensed healthcare provider.
County of Maui · read word for word on Subsection C. The state statute stops at sale; this subsection reaches using or applying a non-mineral sunscreen without a prescription.
The rest of it is on our page on Maui County's ordinance.
Hawaiʻi County. Rule 2-12 of its Department of Environmental Management (rules revised 15 July 2024) bars selling, offering or distributing for sale a non-mineral sunscreen without a prescription; it does not reach use. See the county rules.
Two other active ingredients, avobenzone and octocrylene, are not named in state law, and the 2021 bills that would have added them were never enacted: see whether avobenzone is banned in Hawaii. Under the Maui County and Hawaiʻi County texts above, though, a sunscreen that uses avobenzone or octocrylene is a non-mineral sunscreen, because each is an active ingredient other than zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Shopping before the trip? Our guide to buying sunscreen for a Hawaii trip covers it.
What else protects surfers from the sun?
Clothing, sunglasses and the time of day do part of the work. Sunscreen for surfing is one layer; these are the others.
- On the label. Under 201.327(e)(2), sunscreens rated Broad Spectrum SPF 15 or higher list "Sun Protection Measures" in their Directions, including "limit time in the sun, especially from 10 a.m.-2 p.m." and "wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, hats, and sunglasses." A dawn session, or one after 2 p.m., keeps more of your water time outside that window.
- A rash guard or wetsuit. In the water, it is your long sleeve. The AAD says: "For more effective sun protection, select clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) number on the label." It adds: "if you're at the beach or pool, keep in mind that dry clothing offers more sun protection than wet clothing." So change into a dry shirt on the sand.
- A hat on the beach. The AAD says to choose one "that has a wide brim, which will protect your ears, as well as your head and neck."
- Sunglasses. The FDA notes: "Sunlight reflecting off sand, water, or even snow further increases exposure to UV radiation and raises your risk of developing eye problems." It advises: "Choose sunglasses with a UV400 rating or '100% UV protection' on the label." The AAD adds that "large-framed or wraparound sunglasses offer more sun protection than aviators".
- The UV index. The WHO says: "Sun protection is recommended when the ultraviolet index is 3 and above." The EPA adds: "The UV Index forecast is issued daily by the National Weather Service and EPA." Check it alongside the surf forecast; what each reading asks of you is in reading the UV index before you go out.
Out of the water, the same measures are in clothing and shade.
Where Solvyn Shield fits
Solvyn Shield, labeled Solvyn Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, is a dermatologist-formulated mineral sunscreen, and zinc oxide, at 17.50%, is its only active ingredient. Its front panel states Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Water Resistant (80 minutes), the longer of the two water-resistance ratings (see the label image).
Its Directions, as published on DailyMed (NDC 87777-948-00), include "Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure and as needed" and "Reapply: after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating; immediately after towel drying; at least every 2 hours."
Because zinc oxide is its only active ingredient, it contains neither oxybenzone nor octinoxate, the two ingredients Act 104 names, so it is Hawaii Act 104 compliant; zinc oxide is also one of the two minerals Maui County's ordinance names.
Rub it in and it disappears into your skin, with no white cast. It comes in sealed 5 mL single-use packets you open when you use them. Every ingredient is listed on its Drug Facts label on DailyMed, and our ingredient guide walks through them.
See Solvyn Shield in sealed 5 mL single-use packets.
Sources
Regulation
- 21 CFR 201.327: Over-the-counter sunscreen drug products; required labeling based on effectiveness testing. Paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) and (a)(2), the front-panel claims; (d)(1)(ii), the eye warning; (e)(1)(ii), (e)(2), (e)(3) and (e)(4), the Directions, Sun Protection Measures and reapply lines; (f), the heat and sun line; (i)(7), the water-resistance test. Code of Federal Regulations, 2025 edition, on govinfo.
Hawaii and Maui
- HRS §342D-21. The state prohibition on selling sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate, and its source note, Act 104 of 2018. Hawaii State Legislature.
- Maui County Ordinance 5306, establishing Chapter 20.42 of the Maui County Code. The definition of a non-mineral sunscreen, the use prohibition in §20.42.010(C) and the effective date. County of Maui, signed ordinance.
- County of Hawaiʻi Department of Environmental Management, Rules of Practice and Procedure, revised 15 July 2024. Rule 2-12, the prohibition on selling a non-mineral sunscreen.
- SB132 measure status, 2022 session. The avobenzone and octocrylene bill, carried over to 2022 with no further action. Hawaii State Legislature.
- HB102 and SB366 measure status, 2022 session. The House and Senate companion bills carrying the same avobenzone and octocrylene policy, also carried over to 2022 with no further action. Hawaii State Legislature.
FDA
- Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun. The 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. advice, the 15-minute direction and its reason, the frequently forgotten spots, the water-resistance testing line, and storing sunscreen in towels or shade. Content current as of 16 October 2026.
- Tips to Stay Safe in the Sun: From Sunscreen to Sunglasses. What broad spectrum means on a label, what the 40- and 80-minute claims tell you, reflection and the eyes, and the sunglasses line. FDA Consumer Update, content current as of 10 September 2026.
American Academy of Dermatology
- Sunscreen FAQs. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher and water resistance; the best type of sunscreen; the forms sunscreen comes in; the physical sunscreen line; dry skin 15 minutes before; the reapply line; the 20 to 50 percent note. Last updated 11 February 2025.
- How to apply sunscreen. All skin not covered by clothing, the reminder list, help with your back, and the lip balm. Last updated 15 August 2025.
- What to wear to protect your skin from the sun. Dry and wet clothing, the UPF number, the wide-brimmed hat and wraparound sunglasses.
- How to select a sunscreen. The SPF 30 recommendation.
EPA
- Sun Safety Tips. Water, snow and sand reflection, and the daily UV Index forecast. Last updated 27 January 2026.
- UV Index Scale. The shadow rule. Last updated 15 June 2026.
WHO
- Ultraviolet radiation. The UV index threshold of 3. World Health Organization fact sheet, 21 June 2022.
- Global Solar UV Index: A Practical Guide. The section "Ground reflection", for sand and sea foam, and Table 3, "UV radiation danger: Facts and fiction", for water and cloud. World Health Organization, 2002.
NOAA
- On the Shore. "Leave behind only footprints." NOAA Marine Debris Program, last updated 22 March 2024.
Label
- Solvyn Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50: Drug Facts label on DailyMed. SPL set ID b0a8d028-87d2-4339-8879-c62cbf8415f2, NDC 87777-948-00, effective 15 June 2026: the active ingredient, the Directions quoted above and every inactive ingredient. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- Label image (Label2.jpg). The principal display panel, which carries "Broad Spectrum SPF 50" and "Water Resistant (80 minutes)".
Brand record
- About Solvyn. The brand record behind "dermatologist-formulated".
All quoted text and figures above were read from these records on 3 November 2026.
A note on scope. This is general guidance on US sunscreen labels, public-health advice and the Hawaii state and county texts cited, not medical or legal advice; rules can change, so check the current text, and follow the directions on your own sunscreen.
Solvyn makes Shield. Its full label is published on DailyMed and linked above, so you can check every ingredient yourself. We do not rank other sunscreens and there are no affiliate links on this page.
