When exactly should you reapply sunscreen today? Give the planner your hours outside and it builds the schedule: first application 15 to 30 minutes before you head out, then a top-up every two hours, with an extra rule for swimming and sweating. No app, no sign-up, just times you can put in your phone alarm.
Today’s sunscreen schedule
The two-hour rhythm assumes you’re outdoors the whole time. A quick errand between long indoor stretches doesn’t need the full schedule; a beach day needs every line of it.
Why these times
Two dermatology-body rules generate the whole schedule. The American Academy of Dermatology says to apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before going outside, so it’s bound to your skin before the first UV hits, and to reapply about every two hours outdoors [1]. Cancer Council Australia adds the wet clause: reapply every two hours and immediately after swimming, sweating or towel-drying [2]. Water-resistant labels don’t change that rhythm as much as people think: they only promise their SPF for 40 or 80 minutes in the water, which we break down in our water resistance guide.
Each reapplication should be a full dose, not a token dab; our how much sunscreen guide covers the amounts. Reapplying over makeup is its own puzzle, and the sun stick guide plus our match quiz can find you a format that makes the 2-hour rule actually doable.
Sources
[1] How to Apply Sunscreen, American Academy of Dermatology (apply 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors; reapply about every two hours): link
[2] Advice on sunscreen, Cancer Council Australia (reapply every 2 hours and immediately after swimming, sweating or towel-drying): link