How to remove yellow sunscreen stains from clothes?

You’ve heard it so many times that you know it by heart: you must apply sunscreen before going outside. You carefully apply your cream before getting dressed as you get ready for a delectable picnic away from the city – hooray! In the evening, you see that you’ve changed colour… And so have your clothes! Unsightly yellow stains run across your favourite white top! This type of accident happens more frequently than we’d care to think, but don’t panic. There are solutions to avoid it, and also to fix any catastrophes. Read our mini-guide about stains caused by sunscreen products.

Why does my sunscreen stain?

First, a sunscreen’s main mission is to stay in place and resist as much as possible all rubbing, bathing and perspiration. If fabric comes into contact with sunscreen that has been freshly applied, yellow UVA filters slip into the fabric’s weave and create a stain. The stain can be very difficult to remove because the particles are imprisoned in the fibres. Worse, sometimes the stain is invisible at first and doesn’t show up until after you’ve washed the clothing, since contact between water and the filters creates a chemical reaction that sets the stain on the clothing.

Good to know

There is greater risk of an oil sunscreen staining than sprays or creams.

Not at all. Sunscreen may stain clothing, but it won’t stain your skin. Any visible traces of sunscreen on skin will wash off with soap and water. Cleaning with your shower gel or hydrating shower oil is all that’s needed to remove any sunscreen residue, whatever its texture. It’s also good to know that organic UVA filters, even if they’re yellow, are perfectly safe for your skin. Bioderma doesn’t sell any products that haven’t achieved at least 97%* tolerance. This demanding threshold guarantees optimal safety for all types of skin.

*Use test on 20 people, all skin types, reactivity and light sensitivity tied to the sun, as well as 100% sensitive skin. Applied to the face, body, around the eyes and the neck during 28 days.

Apply your sunscreen and let it absorb fully before getting dressed. As a matter of fact, it is generally recommended to apply your sunscreen 20 minutes before going outside, to let it penetrate and provide proper protection.

When using sunscreen, avoid wearing fragile clothing or clothing that is hard to clean.

If there’s an accident, rinse the stain immediately in cool to warm water. More information in our guide below.

Our guide to remove sunscreen stains from clothing

Most important of all is acting quickly and correctly …

We suggest you try a stain removal product for fatty stains lubricants and oils (sludge, tar, wax)

Let it sit for the time indicated on the pack without rubbing, then wash at 30°C using a normal cycle.

You can also try an active oxygen stain removal powder, that you apply directly to the area before washing.

Let it sit for the time indicated on the pack without rubbing, then wash at 30°C using a normal cycle.

Apply warm water to the area and clean with washing up liquid, very effective on oily stains, before washing at 30°C using a normal cycle.

Wet the stained area and rub with Marseille soap, black soap or any other soap you have. Wash at 30°C using a normal cycle.

Don’t try anything. Take it directly to the drycleaner’s, and tell them what happened.

Don’t ever wash a stained article of clothing in the washing machine without first having applied a remover for oily stains on the area. Your first reflex needs to be removing the stain before washing.
Don’t wash your clothing by hand in very hot water, or at 95°C in the machine, to make the stain go away. Hot water will do the opposite, setting the stain and possibly changing the colour to pink.
Never use chlorine, bleach or hydrogen peroxide, which aren’t stain removers but colour removers. They may remove the colour from your clothing, and not the stain at all.