How to get sunscreen stains out of clothes

Published: September 2018

Last Reviewed: February 2025

What is the best way to get sunscreen stains out of clothes? Sun protection is essential, but some sunscreen products leave unsightly yellow stains on clothes that don't come out in the wash. This shouldn’t put you off from using sun cream though as it's important to use SPF every day.

In this article, find out why some products can stain clothing and how to get sunscreen out of your clothes.

Sunscreens can stain for several reasons, but the main two are because of the oil and UV filters in the sunscreen formula.

Sunscreens contain UV filters to protect our skin from the sun. One of the most common ingredients is avobenzone, also known as butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane. These filters are normally organic chemical filters that, because they absorb UV rays, have a slight yellowish colour. This colour leads to the initial yellow sunscreen stains.

Furthermore, avobenzone tends to oxidise, making a yellow-orange stain get darker over time and more challenging to remove.

Some sun products, especially oil-based ones, cause stains. This results in a stubborn mark that reacts with sun and water, and you might not notice it until you get home.

If you are looking for a lightweight, non-greasy sunscreen, we recommend Eucerin Sun Face Hydro Protect SPF50+. It provides UVA, UVB and HEVIS light protection for all skin types, including sensitive skin. Its light formula quickly absorbs into the skin and leaves no greasy residue. 

If you've noticed a greasy stain on your favourite summer outfit, don't panic. Try these methods to remove a yellow sunscreen stain:

• Do a pre-treatment before washing. Rub a specific laundry detergent designed for stains into the mark and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing and washing. Avoid powder detergents and hard water, as these can worsen sunscreen stains.
• After washing, hang your white clothing out in the sun to dry. The sun naturally bleaches stained white clothing in a safe way. For stubborn stains, use lemon juice to intensify the bleaching results.
• Soak the stain in white vinegar. Follow this by washing on a hot temperature.
• Use eucalyptus oil. Cover the stain and leave for five minutes before washing as normal.

If your sunscreen stain is on a delicate or fancy fabric, such as silk or linen, then take it to the dry cleaners.

As we understand more about the sun's impact on our skin, we are sensibly moving towards using higher sun protection factors than in the past. Learn more about what SPF means here.

This means that sunscreen stains are becoming more noticeable and more of a problem. However, there are ways to prevent sunscreen from staining our clothes:

1. Rub sunscreen into your skin until it is fully absorbed to prevent it from sitting on the surface and contacting your clothing.
2. Opt for water based sunscreens that won't leave grease marks on your clothes.

It depends on the SPF and the size of the stain. However, generally speaking, the answer is yes and with proper care most sunscreen stains can be removed.

The initial sunscreen stain is only part of the story. The way we then go about trying to remove these stains can intensify them rather than lighten or remove them:

The water we wash our clothes in contains metal ions such as iron and copper. These react with filter stains on our clothes and can intensify them. Hard water contains more metal ions, so people who wash clothes in hard water areas are likelier to experience sunscreen stains.

Hot water can seal in the yellow stains rather than remove them: the 40°C (104°F) setting recommended by most washing machine and laundry detergent manufacturers is hot enough to intensify sunscreen stains.

Powder detergents and bleaching agents can also react with the filters and increase rather than decrease the sunscreen stains.

Oil-based formulas can leave greasy stains that cling to fabric fibres. Choosing a lightweight, non-greasy sunscreen can help prevent this.