I’ve Perfected the Art of Packing a Beach Bag—These 12 Beauty Products Are Essential
Each summer, I spend a lot of time at the beach. Like, a lot. Whether it’s the freshwater coast of Lake Michigan or the salty shores of Southern California, being at the beach is genuinely my favorite way to spend time. However, it doesn’t come without downsides. I may be beach-obsessed, but I’m also a beauty editor, and I know how harsh summer can be on skin and hair. I’m talking about sun damage, discoloration, split ends, you name it.
Thankfully, it’s possible to ditch damage if you use the right beauty products, namely sun-protecting ones. And after years of product testing and beach-based trial and error, I’m convinced I’ve found them—all 12 to be exact. Below, I’m sharing my great big beauty editor’s guide to packing a beach bag. Let’s go!
(Image credit: @kaitlyn_mclintock)
SPF Lip Balm
Supergoop
Lipscreen Shine SPF 40
The lips are an often-overlooked area when it comes to sun protection, but they’re just as vulnerable to UV damage as the skin on other areas of the body. Personally, I don’t want to contend with thin, dry, flaky, or sunburnt lips (or worse), so I always pack an SPF lip balm (or two) in my beach bag. The first is Supergoop’s Lipscreen Shine SPF 40. It’s an invisible, non-sticky lip gloss that adds shine and sun protection in one swipe. Unlike other SPF lip products, it doesn’t feel drying or make my lips look ghostly pale. Plus, the shiny formula looks so plump and juicy in the sun.
Ultra Violette
Sheen Screen SPF 50 Hydrating Sunscreen Lip Balm
The other SPF lip product that lives in my beach bag is Ultra Violette’s Sheen Screen SPF 50 Lip Balm. It’s non-sticky and super hydrating and gives the lips a hint of shine and color. There are two shades. I prefer the shade Dusk, which is a neutral, rosy-beige color, but there’s also Bejewelled, which is a glistening pinky-gold color.
Here’s a snapshot of the Ultra Violette Sheen Screen SPF 50 Lip Balm I took while on a recent trip to the beach.
(Image credit: @kaitlyn_mclintock)
Face Sunscreen
innisfree
Daily UV Defense Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 36 Sunscreen
When it comes to face sunscreen, I need SPF to check off a few boxes before I commit to using it. I need it to 1) offer broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection, 2) not pill or leave a white cast, and 3) keep my pores clear and unclogged.
Innisfree’s Daily UV Defense Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 36 Sunscreen hits every benchmark. It offers broad-spectrum SPF 36 with a lightweight, milky texture that looks nearly invisible on my skin, save for a nice, dewy finish. It never clogs my pores or worsens my texture. Plus, it layers well for reapplication purposes; there’s no pilling or thick, goopy feeling that I often get from other face sunscreens.
Dr. Jart+
Every Sun Day Invisible Korean Sunscreen Stick SPF 40
Speaking of reapplication, a sunscreen stick is an easy way to do it when you’re on the go (or you have sandy hands and you don’t want to smear fresh SPF all over your skin). This Korean sunscreen stick offers broad-spectrum SPF 40 with a matte finish.
When I’m on the beach, I like that the matte finish takes away excess shine from sweat, oil, and my aforementioned dewy sunscreen. Honestly, though, it’s less about the finish and more about how it smoothly and seamlessly pulls across the skin, depositing just the right amount of lightweight sun protection. When I’m off the beach, though, I really appreciate how that matte finish blurs my skin and makes my pores look smaller, especially when I use it on top of dewy makeup products.
Body Sunscreen
Vacation
Classic Lotion SPF 50 Sun Jug
Now for the staple of my beach bag—Vacation’s Classic Lotion SPF 50 Sun Jug. This giant, 20-ounce bottle contains the brand’s best-selling body sunscreen and comes with a detachable handle that can double as a bracelet. It’s lightweight, hydrating, and scented with the brand’s iconic summertime fragrance (coconut, banana, pool water, pool toy, and swimsuit lycra). Unlike with other sunscreens that are smaller and more expensive, I feel like I can use as much as I need (and then some) to make sure my skin is truly protected from sun damage.
Here’s a snapshot of my trusty Vacation Classic Lotion SPF 50 Sun Jug on a recent trip to the beach.
(Image credit: @kaitlyn_mclintock)
Coola
Piña Colada Classic Body Organic Sunscreen Spray SPF 30
I also like to have a spray sunscreen on hand for reapplying SPF to larger, harder-to-reach areas like my back. This one from Coola is a continuous, non-aerosol spray with broad-spectrum SPF 30. Thanks to a water-resistant formula, it doesn’t slip and smudge off me as soon as I step in the water. And thanks to hydrating and antioxidant-rich ingredients like red raspberry seed oil, buriti oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and prickly pear extract, it actually benefits my skin beyond sun protection. It comes in multiple scents, but Pīna Colada is my favorite. The fruity, juicy scent sets the right tone for a long, relaxing beach day.
Scalp & Hair SPF
COOLA
Scalp & Hair Mist Organic Sunscreen SPF 30
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: The scalp is one of the most overlooked areas for sun protection, and neglecting it can lead to dryness, flakiness, sunburn and even skin cancer. While I always bring a hat to the beach, I like to double down on sun protection by using this Scalp & Hair Mist. It protects the area with SPF 30, is water-resistant up to 80 minutes, and has a weightless texture that won’t weigh hair down (not even fine hair like mine).
Hair Detangler + UV Protection
Rahua
Hydration Detangler + UV Barrier
Sun exposure can cause hair dryness, breakage, and color fading, which is why I like to protect it with Rahua’s Hydration Detangler + UV Barrier. (I keep the travel size in my beach bag.) Spray it onto damp hair, preferably after the first swim of your beach day, and it will coat your strands in a weightless shield, fending off photodamage from the sun and harmful environmental stressors. It also detangles, boosts shine, and strengthens with a nutrient-rich blend of rahua, morete, and sacha inchi oils. Plus, it smells like mango and passionfruit, which makes me feel like I just left the spa at an expensive seaside resort.
Cooling Mist
Peter Thomas Roth
Water Drench Ice-Facial Cooling Mist
This is one of my favorite beachgoing hacks. If you spritz a cooling mist on your skin every now and then, you’ll A) feel comfortable and refreshed, even in scorching temperatures, and B) have much more hydrated skin than if you didn’t. This one, from Peter Thomas Roth, is my favorite. It contains hyaluronic acid and green, white, and red tea extracts to hydrate the skin and calm redness, while IceAwake technology immediately decreases skin temperature.
Avène
Thermal Spring Water
You can’t go wrong with the cult-classic French pharmacy product, either. It contains a single ingredient—thermal spring water bottled directly from the source—that cools, refreshes, hydrates, and soothes the skin in a single spritz.
Post-Beach Fragrance
OUAI
St. Barts Hair and Body Mist
Here’s another hack. Pack a travel-size body mist in your bag to ensure you smell nice upon leaving the beach. Often, I head straight to dinner or drinks after leaving the beach, and I don’t necessarily want to smell like sweat, salt, and sunscreen. I’d rather smell elegant and refined, which is where Ouai’s St. Barts Hair & Body Mist comes into play. With notes of dragon fruit, orange blossom, and musk, it’s basically like if you could bottle a luxurious tropical vacation.
Sol de Janeiro
Cheirosa 39 Hair & Body Perfume Mist
Here’s another body mist I pack in my beach bag. Sol de Janeiro’s Cheirosa 39 Hair & Body Mist is a perfect gourmand scent for summer. Think of notes like coconut cream, warm vanilla, tropical orchid, creamy sandalwood, and toasted praline.
j.crew
Wide-Brim Raffia Bucket Hat
This raffia bucket hat has been my summer hyperfixation.
Madewell
Pierport Sunglasses
I love Madewell’s sunglasses. They’re chic and high-quality, yet they don’t exactly qualify as an investment purchase. (I, for one, lose too many sunglasses to spend $300+ on a single pair.) The slight cat-eye effect on this square pair is so cool.
