Best Sport Sunscreen Products for Triathletes [Review]

There’s no question that most triathletes need sport sunscreen for protection from harmful UV rays. But beyond your average sun block, triathletes need use the best sport sunscreen that’s proven to be water resistant for hours on end, retaining its SPF for long bouts of training and racing. 

With so many products to choose, it can difficult to pinpoint the best sports sunscreen based on your preferences. To provide insight on some of our favorite products, below we have reviewed three of the best sport sunscreens for triathletes.

 

What Defines the Best Sport Sunscreens?

When it comes to determining the best sport sunscreens, it’s important to look at a few key features:

• Broad Spectrum: This means the sunscreen will protect you from UVA and UVB rays, the two primary types of UV light that can harm your skin. According to Mayo Clinic, the best sunscreen offers protection from all UV light. While UVB rays burn the skin over time, UVA rays can prematurely age skin, causing sports and wrinkling. Too much exposure to either type can cause skin cancer. 
• Water Resistant: This measured by how well SPF is maintained when exposed to water or sweat. Mayo Clinic categorizes high-performing sunscreens wehn SPF is maintained for 80 minutes.
• Reef Safe: According to the National Geographic, 14,000 tons of sunscreen are deposited into the oceans each year. Pollution from sunscreen is a major contributor to the world’s quickly depleting coral reefs. 
• Feel and application: Of course how sunscreen products feels on your skin can make or break how well it works for you. The manner in which the product is applied can also influence your purchasing decision. For triathletes, sometimes sticks and roll-ons work better than sprays or rub-on sunscreens. 

Below we selected a few of our favorite sport sunscreen products. These products have been chosen based on the features above, as well as their overall reputation in the triathlon and endurance community.

 

SolRx Zinc Sunscreen Sticks

SolRx Zinc Sunscreen Sticks are specially designed for easy portability and application, making them ideal for athletes. However, it is particularly suitable for triathletes as these zinc sunscreen sticks from SolRx are able to withstand prolonged exposure to water and sweat.

As one of the best sport sunscreen products from SolRx, the zinc sticks come in a SPF 50 version, which makes it highly effective at warding-off the sun’s harmful rays. As some of the most enduring zinc oxide sunscreen sticks, SolRx products are water resistant for up to 8 hours, so you do not have to worry about your skin’s well-being long into a race or training session.

And unlike some sport sunscreen products, SolRX zinc sunscreen sticks also do not leave any residue, nor mix with sweat, ensuring optimal comfort and protection while training and competing. It’s also eco-friendly and will not leach chemicals into the water. All these features combine to make SolRx Zinc Sunscreen Sticks ideal for broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

 

Butterbean Original Formula Sunscreen

Butterbean Original Formula Sunscreen is designed not to only protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays, but also prevent environmental pollution. It is organic, biodegradable, cruelty-free, and reef safe. As a result, this sport sunscreen has a top review and rating by the Environmental Working Group. It is even more impressive when it comes to the measures taken to keep your skin safe.

This sunscreen combines a 30-SPF-rating and nano-nano particle uncoated pure zinc oxide technology to ensure utmost protection from UVA and UVB sun rays. It is especially suitable for triathletes as it has a resistant of up to 80 minutes to water and sweat.

Butterbean Original Formula Sunscreen also goes an extra step to add a touch of sweet fragrance to your skin by incorporating certified organic and fair-trade Shea butter and coconut oil. Other organic ingredients incorporated to safeguard your skin’s health and appearance are beeswax, sunflower vitamin E, olive fruit, and jojoba.

 

BurnOut Ocean Tested Sunscreen 

The BurnOut Ocean Tested Sunscreen has been rigorously tested in harsh environments for triathletes training for long-course racing, such as Ironman triathletes. It boasts of being very efficient as it utilizes nano-nano particle uncoated pure zinc oxide technology and has an SPF rating of 30. It is also water-resistant and sweat-proof, making it ideal for triathlon sports, like running, swimming, and cycling.

BurnOut Ocean Tested Sunscreen also utilizes chemical-free, petroleum-free, paraben-free, and PABA-free ingredients that make it safe for the environment and healthy for your skin. Some of its ingredients include Aloe Vera, hemp-seed oil, avocado oil. Cucumber extract, and green tea extract, among others.

 

Use Only The Best Sports Sunscreen 

Using caution when training or racing may prevent you from injury, but failing to prepare with proper sunscreen can’t prevent the adverse effects of exposure to UVA and UVB sun rays.

As a triathlete, you need an effective sport sunscreen that can withstand not only the harmful sun rays but also exposure to water and sweat. These sunscreens are among the top-rated few that meet all the needs of triathletes and go a step further to nourish your skin as well as keep it safe from harmful ultraviolet sun rays.