Best After-Sun Products for Face and Body (Repair, Not Just Aloe)

A day in the sun can leave your skin tight, hot, and extra dry even if you did your best with sunscreen. A basic aloe gel may feel cooling in the moment, but it usually does little to rebuild your moisture barrier or calm deeper irritation.

This guide focuses on after-sun products for face and body that actually repair. Each pick helps rehydrate, soothe redness, and support your skin barrier so you bounce back faster and reduce the risk of peeling or lingering damage.

Quick picks

• La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5: Best all-around repair balm for face and body. A rich, fragrance-free cream with panthenol and madecassoside that calms tight, dry, or slightly sunburned skin.
• Sun Bum Cool Down Hydrating After Sun Lotion: Best classic after-sun for body. Lightweight lotion with aloe, vitamin E, and plant oils that glides over large areas and smells like vacation.
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream for Extra-Dry Skin (Fragrance-Free): Best cooling gel-cream for overheated faces. A bouncy, hyaluronic-acid gel-cream that drinks into the skin without heaviness.
• Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream: Best for very sensitive or compromised skin. A thick, mineral-rich cream that comforts angry, red areas on both face and body.

What your skin really needs after sun

UV exposure pulls water from the skin, weakens your lipid barrier, and sparks inflammation. The result is that familiar combination of heat, tightness, and rough texture, even if you are not visibly burned.

The best after-sun products do more than cool on contact. Look for formulas that target three jobs at once:

• Deep rehydration from humectants like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and aloe that draw water back into the skin.
• Barrier repair from ceramides, fatty acids, shea butter, or similar emollients that help rebuild your skin’s protective layer.
• Soothing and anti-redness from panthenol (vitamin B5), centella asiatica, madecassoside, colloidal oatmeal, or thermal spring water.
• Gentle formulas with minimal fragrance and alcohol, especially if your skin is visibly pink or tender.

It is fine if aloe is part of the formula, but you will get much better results when it is paired with these barrier-supporting ingredients.

How to use after-sun care on face and body

Timing matters. The sooner you cool and rehydrate your skin, the less peeling and roughness you are likely to see over the next few days.

Right after you come in from the sun, treat your skin gently and keep your routine simple. Avoid strong acids, retinoids, scrubs, and harsh acne treatments on any areas that feel hot or look pink.

1. Cool down: Rinse off sweat, sand, and sunscreen with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser. Use cool compresses on hot areas, but skip ice directly on the skin.
2. Rehydrate immediately: While skin is still slightly damp, apply a generous layer of your chosen after-sun product to face and body. Do not rub aggressively; smooth it on in soft strokes.
3. Maintain repair mode: For the next 2 to 3 nights, keep your routine very basic. Think: mild cleanser, your after-sun repair product, and a simple moisturizer if needed. During the day, reapply sunscreen and stay in the shade when you can.

If you have blistering, extreme pain, or feel unwell, treat that as a medical issue rather than something to fix with skincare alone and contact a healthcare professional.

In-depth reviews

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 review

Best for: Face and body that feel tight, rough, or sensitized after sun, especially normal to dry or combination skin. This is the most versatile pick here and works for many households as a shared tube.

Cicaplast Baume B5 combines 5 percent panthenol (vitamin B5) with madecassoside, shea butter, glycerin, and La Roche-Posay’s thermal spring water. The texture is a rich cream that leaves a soft, occlusive film, which helps lock in moisture and protect fragile skin. It is fragrance-free and designed for sensitive, irritated, or post-procedure skin, so it is a safe choice for mild sunburn patches on cheeks, nose, shoulders, or chest.

The main drawback is that it can feel heavy or slightly greasy in hot, humid weather or on very oily skin. If you want that same soothing effect in a lighter texture, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream is a better bet for the face. For large body areas, you might still prefer a more fluid lotion like Sun Bum, then reserve Cicaplast for hot spots that need extra repair.

Sun Bum Cool Down Hydrating After Sun Lotion review

Best for: People who want a classic, beachy after-sun lotion that is easy to spread over the whole body. It suits normal to slightly dry skin and anyone who enjoys a tropical scent.

Sun Bum Cool Down uses aloe vera, vitamin E, and plant oils like cocoa butter and jojoba to hydrate and soften sun exposed skin. The lotion texture is fluid and fast spreading, so you can quickly cover your back, legs, and shoulders without a heavy film. It absorbs well but still leaves a smooth, moisturized feel that helps reduce that tight, about-to-peel sensation over the next day or two.

This formula is not fragrance-free, and it does contain denatured alcohol, which some very sensitive or rosacea-prone users may find irritating. If your skin reacts easily or you prefer unscented products, Cicaplast Baume B5 or Avène Cicalfate+ will be better choices for after-sun repair. That said, if your skin tolerates fragrance and you want a cooling, vacation-scented body lotion, this is a reliable crowd-pleaser.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream for Extra-Dry Skin (Fragrance-Free) review

Best for: Faces that feel hot and dehydrated after sun, especially normal to oily or combination skin. It is also great for people who dislike heavy creams but still need serious rehydration.

This Hydro Boost Gel-Cream relies on hyaluronic acid and glycerin to pull water into the skin, plus dimethicone to lock that hydration in with a light, silky finish. The fragrance-free Extra-Dry Skin version is gentle enough for most sensitive types, and the gel-cream texture feels instantly cooling on overheated skin. It layers well under sunscreen or makeup the next day, so you can stay in repair mode without your face feeling greasy.

Hydro Boost focuses on hydration rather than heavy barrier repair. If your skin is flaky, rough, or starting to peel, pairing this with a more occlusive cream at night like Cicaplast Baume B5 or Avène Cicalfate+ will give you better results. As a daily after-sun hydrator when you are not truly burned, though, it is hard to beat for comfort and texture.

Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream review

Best for: Very sensitive, reactive, or compromised skin that needs serious comfort after sun. It is a strong option if you are prone to redness, irritation, or if your barrier is already fragile from treatments.

Cicalfate+ uses Avène thermal spring water along with sucralfate, a copper-zinc mineral complex, and emollients to help support skin repair. The texture is thick and somewhat pasty, forming a protective layer over hot, chafed, or irritated areas. It is fragrance-free and designed for delicate skin, which makes it suitable for cheeks, nose, shoulders, or any spot that feels almost raw after sun exposure.

The downside is that it can feel heavy and leave a slight white cast, especially on deeper skin tones or when used over large body areas. For all-over body use, Sun Bum Cool Down or a lighter lotion will feel more comfortable. Think of Cicalfate+ as your intensive spot treatment, while Hydro Boost or Cicaplast can handle everyday hydration across the rest of your face and body.

Final thoughts

If your goal is real repair and not just a temporary cool-down, build your after-sun kit around at least one soothing, barrier-supporting cream and one lighter hydrator. For most people, a tube of La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 plus a body-friendly lotion like Sun Bum Cool Down or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream will cover almost every situation.

Use the richer creams at night and on any hot spots, keep your routine simple for a few days, and be extra generous with sunscreen and shade while your skin recovers. Your face and body will feel better now, and your future self will thank you for the extra care.

See also

If your skin feels dry and fragile beyond one sunny weekend, our body skin SOS guide for dry and damaged skin shows how to build a longer-term repair routine that pairs well with targeted after-sun products.

• Plan a gentle skin routine for dry, tight skin that supports recovery between sun-filled days.
• Boost moisture with the best hydrating toners for dry skin so your barrier is stronger before you head outside.
• Keep your complexion comfortable in transit with the best facial mists for dry offices and airplane air.
• Do not forget your hands; repair them with the best hand creams for dry, cracked hands after sun and frequent washing.

FAQ

Can I use my regular moisturizer as an after-sun product?

You can, as long as it is gentle and hydrating, but it may not be ideal on its own. After sun exposure, you want extra soothing and barrier support from ingredients like panthenol, ceramides, or centella, which many everyday moisturizers lack. If your regular cream is simple and non-irritating, you can keep using it and add a more targeted after-sun or repair product at night.

What ingredients should I avoid on my face after a mild sunburn?

Skip high-strength retinoids, strong exfoliating acids (like glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid peels), benzoyl peroxide spot treatments, and any gritty scrubs until your skin is fully calm. Heavily fragranced products, essential oils, and high-alcohol toners can also sting and worsen redness. Stick to a gentle cleanser, a soothing after-sun or repair cream, and a simple moisturizer plus sunscreen during the day.

How long should I keep using after-sun products after a beach day?

For mild pinkness or tightness, plan on 2 to 3 days of focused repair. Use your after-sun or barrier cream generously at night and a lighter hydrator in the morning under sunscreen. If your skin is still red, flaky, or sensitive after several days, keep the gentle routine going a bit longer and avoid strong actives until it feels normal again.

Is aloe gel enough for after-sun care?

Pure aloe gel can feel very cooling and does offer some soothing benefits, but it is mostly water and does not provide much barrier repair on its own. Once it dries, your skin can actually feel tight again. For better results, layer or follow aloe with a cream or lotion that contains ingredients like glycerin, ceramides, shea butter, or panthenol to lock in hydration and support healing.

When is it unsafe to treat a sunburn at home?

If you have large areas of blistering, intense pain, chills, nausea, dizziness, or a fever, that goes beyond a simple sunburn and needs medical attention. Also seek professional help if young children are badly burned, or if a burn looks infected, for example with spreading redness, warmth, swelling, or pus. Home care and over-the-counter after-sun products are meant for mild redness and discomfort, not severe or systemic symptoms.

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