The 10 Best Post-Sun Skincare Products

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.AmazonThe problem with the sun, in the immediate, dries your skin and weakens your skin barrier. So, this story will pretty much amount to one type of product focused on fixing that: Ultra-rich moisturizers.Some use Aloe Vera to reduce redness, most use vitamin additions to bring back moisture. La Roche-Posay’s long-loved classic Cicaplast Balm. Essentially, it’s a high-hydration moisturizer. The standout ingredient is a proprietary one that La Roche-Posay calls Tribioma, a prebiotic complex that’s meant to support the skin barrier’s natural microbiome.So, we’d use this like a rich overnight cream for high-sun areas. Face, shoulders, tops of legs or feet if you sat in a boat—put it on after a shower and before you go to bed, and you’re sun-kissed skin will get its moisture back overnight.This is the good stuff. In fact, this stuff is so good that it didn’t come home from the family beach vacation with me. I would say it’s the after-sun lotion I bring everywhere, but I fear I need to restock already.This lotion is pretty much everything I want from post-sun care. It uses cucumber, aloe, and a bevy of antioxidants to help reduce redness and cool down your skin. All without being a sticky gel that leaves behind residue. Instead, it’s a smooth lotion that feels good to rub in. And fragrance-wise, it’s fairly neutral to vaguely pleasant—the perfect range.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIf you’re after a basic after sun gel, look no further than one of our favorite drugstore brands. Affordable and sold everywhere, Neutrogena’s Sun Rescue will always do in a pinch. Heck, if you are reading this in a CVS right now and want to know our pick for post-sun product to swipe from the shelf, here you go. It’s a soothing gel that uses camphor to cool on contact, providing exactly the sensation you’ve come to expect. Scent-wise, it’s pretty much fragrance-free, which makes it a great option for those who get easily icked about scents but still need the relief.You might not want to hear this, but the best thing you can do for your skin—anytime, but especially post-sun—is to just drink water. If your time in the sun also involved a few alcoholic drinks, as it should, you need double the water. Half your body is water; it’s a cure all.If you really want to go hard, add an electrolyte mix. Liquid I.V.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIf you want to go harder with the hydration, add an electrolyte mix. Liquid I.V. is a favorite around the Esquire office.This is another great lotion. A lot of my colleagues on the fashion side swear by Sun Bum’s stuff and this cooling lotion is one of the brand’s top-rated products. This lotion uses a recipe of hero ingredients: aloe, cocoa butter, and jojoba seed oil to not just soothe, but moisturize as well. Paired with Sun Bum’s Cool Down Gel, it’s really all you need.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowHere’s a gel that’s going to give you the relief you need without any unpleasant odors. In fact, user reviews of this Vacation After Sun Gel have nothing but positive things to say about the refreshing scent. This is accomplished by using a number of natural ingredients including cucumber, prickly pear, and tremella mushrooms. The result is a gel that works with the power of aloe, but rubs in clean and doesn’t leave any stickiness behind.Also, if you buy it on Amazon, it comes with a free air freshener. Don’t ask me why.This is Esquire so of course we have to pay lip service to some of the luxury brands we love. First up is Dior. This after-sun balm does more than hydrate and soothe your skin. A calming shea butter base is enhanced with key ingredients: Plectranthus extract and inositol to help maintain and enhance your tan. For the man that truly cares about skincare, this is the after-sun lotion that goes the extra mile.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis Citronbelle & Geranium scented milky gel comes in a limited edition bottle with original artwork from Mathilde Jonquière. The scent is a Diptyque classic and the gel itself is texturally similar to a lotion, and just as easy to rub in. Granted, it’s more worth the price if you have somewhere to display it. If you run a summer Airbnb out of the beach house, it’s the classy pick for the bathroom. It will leave all your guests looking, feeling, and smelling refreshed.I’m not joking about this one. If your sunburn hurts too much to rub in any of these gels or lotions, you may need something stronger than aloe. For those rough nights after the long days in the sun, Solarcaine has never let us down. Sure, it smells awful, but it does give instant relief to even the most severe sun-damaged skin. The inclusion of lidocaine provides an extra layer of numbing pain relief that gives this spray the extra edge.