Do You Need Sunscreen in Fall and Winter?

Sunscreen gets treated like a summer product. Bottle comes out in June, goes back in the drawer by October. The problem is that the part of sunlight that ages your skin does not take the winter off. If anything, fall and winter add a few triggers summer does not have.

UVA does not care what season it is

Sunlight has two kinds of ultraviolet. UVB is the one that burns, and it does drop in winter. UVA is the one that drives long-term skin aging and pigment, and it stays remarkably steady all year. UVA also passes through clouds and through window glass. A gray November sky and a sunny July afternoon are not as different as they look from a UVA standpoint.

Winter adds reflection

Snow reflects a large share of UV back up at you, which is why skiers and winter hikers can burn on an overcast day. Add altitude and it compounds fast. We went deep on that in our guide to UV at altitude. You do not need to be on a mountain for it to matter, but if you are, it matters a lot.

The real winter problem: you stop reapplying

The biggest gap in winter is not the sun. It is the habit. People wear SPF daily through summer, then quietly drop it when it gets cold, so their skin gets steady UVA exposure with nothing on it for months. The fix is not more product. It is a sunscreen comfortable enough that putting it on in December feels no different than putting it on in July. That is what daily wear means.

What to look for in a cold-weather sunscreen

• Broad spectrum, so you are covered for UVA, not just the UVB that fades in winter.
• A comfortable finish you will reach for daily. Winter skin is drier and less forgiving of anything heavy, greasy, or drying.
• A short, gentle ingredient list, because cold, wind, and indoor heat already stress the skin barrier.

Where Swellies fits

Swellies is a five-ingredient mineral sunscreen built for daily wear, which is the whole point in winter. Zinc oxide at 21 percent covers the full UVA and UVB range, so the season does not open a gap. It goes on as a lightweight gel with no fragrance, no preservatives, and no white cast, so the December version of the habit is the same as the July one. Broad spectrum SPF 46, water resistant 40 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Do you really need sunscreen in the winter?

Yes. UVA, the ray that drives skin aging and pigment, stays steady year-round and passes through clouds and windows. UVB and the burn risk drop in winter, but daily UVA exposure does not, so broad spectrum protection still matters.

Does sunscreen work through clouds and windows?

UVA passes through both cloud cover and standard window glass, so you can accumulate exposure on an overcast day or sitting near a window. That is a key reason daily sunscreen is a year-round habit, not a summer one.

Is winter sun worse at altitude or in snow?

Both increase exposure. Snow reflects a large share of UV back at your skin, and UV intensity climbs with altitude, so winter sports can mean more UV than a summer day at sea level, even when it is cold and cloudy.

Broad spectrum, five ingredients, easy to wear in December. Shop Swellies SPF 46 →