Pro Tip: Should You Apply a Balm Before Sunscreen on Long Days Outdoors During the Winter?
If you’re heading outside for an hour, your normal skincare and sun-protection routine may be all you need.
But what about a full day or multiple days back to back during the winter? As a ski coach or an athlete spending all day on the mountain isn’t uncommon.
During a high-altitude winter, temperatures may dip well below zero. Less atmosphere means more UV radiation pentrates to strike the snow pack around you. The snow pack can reflect up to 90% of that UV radiation back at you, leading to sunburns in unusal places, including inside of the nose.
When working outdoors through hours of sun, wind, cold and dry air skin exposed to the elements takes a beating. Repeat that routine daily and that little bit of exposed skin can lead to big problems down the road. Over the past three years, I’ve lost multiple skiing friends and family to skin cancer. The losses troubled me so much it became the founding motivation behind SUI WASSER.
My experience is not isolated. Research suggests that people who live, work and recreate in high-altitude mountain communities can face an unusually intense UV environment, and some ski communities report striking rates of melanoma. In Park City, Utah, for example, public-health data have reported an age-adjusted melanoma incidence of 75.4 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 40.8 statewide.
Studies of ski-area employees have also documented substantial occupational UV exposure, precancerous skin damage and skin cancers among people who spend their working lives on the mountain. The reasons are not limited to altitude alone: stronger UV radiation at elevation combines with long hours outdoors and UV reflected from snow. For athletes, coaches, instructors, patrollers and other mountain professionals, exposure isn’t measured in an afternoon here or there. It accumulates over seasons, years and careers.
Reapplying sunscreen or covering exposed skin is still our number one defense against UV radiation exposure. However, recent research examining UV exposure and the skin barrier raises an interesting question: should we think about maintaining moisture and barrier function during prolonged environmental exposure—not just recovering afterward?
We think that’s a reasonable approach, particularly when skin is also being challenged by wind, extreme cold, and extremely dry air.
Layer—Don’t Mix!
If you want to use a SUI WASSER balm as part of your outdoor routine, don’t mix it directly with sunscreen. Sunscreens are carefully formulated to create a uniform protective film, and mixing another product into them could alter how that film forms or dilute its UV filters.
Instead, think in terms of layers:
1. Apply a thin layer of balm or moisturizer to clean skin. (We recommend SUI WASSER’s Apres Sport or Recovery+ for this purpose).
Use only enough to condition the skin rather than leaving a heavy, greasy surface.
2. Give the first layer time to settle.
3. Apply your broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen over it.
Use the sunscreen according to its directions and apply the recommended amount.
4. Reapply sunscreen throughout the day as directed.
A balm underneath sunscreen does not increase its SPF, make it last longer or eliminate the need for reapplication.
When Should You Repeat the Routine?
For extended days outdoors, think of this as a routine rather than a one-time morning application. Continue reapplying sunscreen according to its directions—generally at least every two hours or after heavy sweating, swimming or toweling off. You don’t need to reapply balm every time you reapply sunscreen.
A natural break, however, can be a good opportunity to reset. If you come inside for lunch after several hours of skiing, riding, working or training outdoors, assess how your skin feels. Remember that the cold can mask nerve endings, making it more difficult to self-assess UV damage or windburn.
If your skin feels dry, tight or weather-stressed, apply another thin layer of balm or moisturizer, allow it to settle, and then apply a fresh, full layer of sunscreen before heading back outdoors.
The important distinction is that sunscreen reapplication follows the sunscreen’s schedule; balm reapplication follows your skin’s needs. And whenever you’re rebuilding both layers, finish with sunscreen as the final UV-protective layer.
Why This Routine Might Be Useful?
The outermost layers of our skin help retain water and provide a barrier against the surrounding environment. UV radiation, wind, cold and dry air can all challenge this system during extended periods outdoors.
A moisturizing balm can provide emollient and occlusive conditioning that helps reduce moisture loss and supports the feel and condition of dry, weather-stressed skin. The sunscreen, however, remains the product responsible for protecting your skin from UV radiation.
At SUI WASSER, we’re interested in whether combining barrier-supportive skincare with proper sun protection could eventually prove particularly useful for people experiencing unusually long or intense outdoor exposure.
That hypothesis still needs testing. SUI WASSER products have not been clinically demonstrated to reduce UV-induced cellular damage, nor have our balms been tested in combination with individual sunscreens to establish that they do not affect sunscreen performance.
What About Wind, Cold and Dry Air?
Sunscreen protects against UV radiation, but it isn’t necessarily designed to protect skin from everything an outdoor day can throw at it. Cold temperatures, low humidity and wind can contribute to moisture loss and leave exposed skin feeling dry, tight and irritated—one reason skiers, coaches and other outdoor professionals may need more than UV protection alone.
If your skin begins feeling dry or wind-stressed during a long day outside, you can apply a small amount of balm to exposed areas that need additional conditioning. However, we don’t yet know whether applying a heavy balm over sunscreen could disturb the sunscreen’s protective film. During continued UV exposure, we recommend reapplying sunscreen afterward so that sunscreen remains the final UV-protective layer.
Think of the two products as doing different jobs: balm helps condition skin against moisture loss and environmental stress; sunscreen provides the tested protection against UV radiation. When both are needed, maintain both—but finish with sunscreen.
Think Beyond Protection and Recovery
For serious outdoor exposure, we’re beginning to think about skincare as a four-part cycle:
PREPARE → PROTECT → MAINTAIN → RECOVER
Prepare the skin with moisture and conditioning before a demanding outdoor day.
Protect it with broad-spectrum sunscreen, appropriate clothing, shade and other established UV-protection measures.
Maintain that protection by reapplying balm then sunscreen to minimize the effects of UV radiation plus wind and cold dry air.
Mitigate afterward by gently cleansing —dab the skin with a moist towel luke warm water, don’t scrub! Apply a replenishing balm such as Apres Sport to weather-stressed skin asap.
Recover at the end of the day, before bed, by applying a long-lasting balm, such as SUI WASSER’s Recovery+
Remember! Protection still comes first. But for those of us who spend entire days outside, taking care of the skin barrier may deserve attention before, during and after the adventure.
Written By Mya Schaefer
SUI WASSER, Founder
Alpine Ski Coach & Former NCAA All American Alpine Skier.
References & Further Reading:
Gavazzoni Dias MFR, et al. — “Sunscreens effectiveness are not altered by concomitant use of moisturizing creams: An ultraviolet reflectance photography study.”Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2022.
This study involved 25 volunteers and examined several sunscreens used with moisturizing creams applied shortly before or after sunscreen. The researchers found no significant change in UV-reflectance measurements when the products were used sequentially. Importantly, this doesn’t prove that every moisturizer or balm is compatible with every sunscreen.
Read on PubMedTeichmann A, et al. — “Determination of the protection efficacy and homogeneity of the distribution of sunscreens applied onto skin pre-treated with cosmetic products.”Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2012.
Particularly interesting for our hypothesis: researchers found that pretreating skin with a body lotion produced a more homogeneous distribution of the subsequently applied sunscreen in their experimental system.
Read on PubMedSohn M, Herzog B, Osterwalder U, Imanidis G. — “Calculation of the sun protection factor of sunscreens with different vehicles using measured film thickness distribution.”Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B, 2016.
This paper is useful for explaining why we say “layer, don’t mix.” The researchers demonstrated a relationship between sunscreen film-thickness distribution, formulation vehicle and SPF performance. In other words, the physical film a sunscreen forms on skin matters.
Read on PubMedAmerican Academy of Dermatology — How to Apply Sunscreen.
AAD recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30+ sunscreen, applying it before going outdoors and reapplying approximately every two hours and after swimming or sweating.
AAD sunscreen application guidanceU.S. Food & Drug Administration — Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun.
Useful authoritative reference for the article’s basic sunscreen recommendations. FDA advises applying sunscreen about 15 minutes before exposure and reapplying at least every two hours, more often when swimming or sweating.
FDA sunscreen guidance
