Reapply after 80 minutes, not two hours.

Yes, water-resistant sunscreen lasts longer in water than regular sunscreen — but you still need to reapply on schedule. The whole “reapply every two hours” rule applies to all sunscreens, not just regular ones. Water-resistant just means it stays on longer during swimming or sweating: 40 minutes for “water-resistant,” 80 minutes for “very water-resistant.” After that, you’re basically unprotected.

The confusion comes from people thinking water-resistant means you don’t have to reapply as often. It doesn’t. It means it won’t wash off as fast. But once you exceed that labeled time in the water, the protection drops fast. And if you towel dry? You wiped it off anyway.

So the real rule: check the label for the water-resistance duration (40 or 80 min), reapply after that. And still reapply every two hours total, regardless of whether you’ve been in the water.

This is not where you cut corners. Red burns suck.