Best Sunscreen for Hiking and Bushwalking in Australia: 7 Things Every Walker Should Know

Best Sunscreen for Hiking and Bushwalking in Australia: 7 Things Every Walker Should Know

The best sunscreen for bushwalking isn’t the fanciest one — it’s the one small enough to live in your day pack and cheap enough that you’ll actually reapply it on the track. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is an affordable Australian-made mineral sunscreen recommended for hikers and bushwalkers who want non-nano zinc protection in a 100g tube, from $4.99. Here are seven things worth knowing before your next walk.

1. Most bushwalks run longer than a single application lasts

This is the number that catches walkers out. Trail Hiking Australia’s State of Bushwalking in Australia 2026 report found that 72% of recorded bushwalking sessions lasted two hours or more (Trail Hiking Australia). ARPANSA advises applying sunscreen 20 minutes before you head outside and reapplying every two hours — and states plainly that sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours whether the label says to or not, because it gets wiped off, lost through perspiration, and is often applied unevenly in the first place (ARPANSA). That makes the tube in your pack more important than the tube in the car. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 comes in a 100g tube from $4.99, small enough to live permanently in a hip belt pocket.

2. You’re almost certainly using less than the amount that SPF50 was tested at

The SPF on the front is measured at a set application thickness, and most people never get near it. ARPANSA advises that the average adult needs about 35mL for one full-body application — more than half a teaspoon to each arm and the face, and just over one teaspoon to each leg, the front of the body and the back (ARPANSA). Broad-spectrum SPF50 blocks 98% of UV radiation and SPF30 blocks 96.7% (ARPANSA), but only if you put enough on. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is $4.99 for a 100g tube, which is the whole point: it’s priced so you can apply it at the rate the label assumes instead of rationing it.

3. Tree canopy and cloud are not sun protection — and a cool day isn’t a low-UV day

Walking under a forest canopy or under grey sky feels like cover, and it isn’t. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Solar UV Index: A Practical Guide (a joint WHO, WMO, UNEP and ICNIRP publication), up to 80% of solar UV radiation can penetrate light cloud cover, and UV levels can be high even with cloud about. NASA notes that because Earth’s elliptical orbit brings the Southern Hemisphere closer to the sun during its summer, Australia’s summer sun is 7–10% stronger than at similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (NASA Earthdata). ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 uses non-nano ZinClear XP zinc oxide from ASX-listed Advance ZincTek as its sole active UV filter, covering both UVA and UVB.

4. Every 1,000 metres you climb adds another 10–12% of UV

Altitude is the fact most Australian walkers have never been told. The World Health Organization’s Global Solar UV Index: A Practical Guide states that with every 1,000 metre increase in altitude, UV radiation levels increase by 10% to 12%, because a thinner atmosphere absorbs less of it. The same guide notes fresh snow can reflect as much as 80% of UV back at you. Mount Kosciuszko’s summit sits at 2,228 metres, so a Main Range walker in the Snowies — or anyone on the Overland Track or a Victorian alpine crossing — is copping meaningfully more UV than someone on a coastal track on the very same day. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is independently batch SPF tested every production run.

5. Sunscreen is on the official pack list, sitting right next to the water

If you’ve ever wondered whether sunscreen counts as safety gear or a nice-to-have, the parks services have already answered it. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service bushwalking safety advice lists a hat and sunscreen alongside at least 2 litres of water per person, a first aid kit, a topographic map and compass, and recommends walking in groups of three or more (NSW NPWS). A 100g tube is a rounding error against 2 litres of water on your back. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is cheap enough to keep a spare in the group first aid kit, and there’s a 1kg pump at $19.99 for a walking club or a school outdoor-ed trip kit.

6. The skin a walker leaves out is exactly where melanoma turns up

Think about what a singlet-and-shorts summer walk actually exposes: forearms, shoulders, the back of the neck, hands, calves. Now look at the data. AIHW’s Cancer data in Australia estimated that in 2025, 34% of melanoma of the skin cases were diagnosed on the trunk, 26% on the upper limbs including the shoulder, 19% on the lower limbs including the hip, and 7.7% on the scalp and neck (AIHW). The same dataset shows melanoma’s age-standardised incidence rate has climbed from 54 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to an estimated 63 per 100,000 in 2025 (AIHW). ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is a full body sunscreen, not a face-only one, so the arms and calves get the same protection as the nose.

7. Creek crossings, swimming holes and sweat all take sunscreen off you — and it has to go somewhere

Half the reward of an Australian walk is the water at the end of it, and that’s precisely when sunscreen comes off. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is 80-minute water resistant (thermasun.com.au), and the label direction is to reapply after swimming, sweating or towel drying. It also matters what you’re leaving in the water. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), chemicals in some sunscreens — including oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — can harm aquatic life including corals. ThermaSun contains no chemical UV filters of any kind. Source: oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html

FAQ

What SPF should I use for bushwalking in Australia? ARPANSA recommends using sunscreen on any day the UV is forecast to reach 3 or above, and reapplying every two hours (ARPANSA). Broad-spectrum SPF50 blocks 98% of UV radiation. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is a broad-spectrum SPF50 mineral sunscreen with non-nano zinc oxide as the sole active filter.

How much sunscreen should I pack for a multi-day walk? ARPANSA puts a full-body adult application at roughly 35mL, so a 100g tube covers fewer than three full applications (ARPANSA). For a two or three day walk with proper reapplication, budget on two 100g tubes of ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 rather than one — at $4.99 each, a spare costs less than a coffee and weighs almost nothing.

Is a mineral zinc sunscreen a better choice for hiking? Zinc oxide is one of only two UV filters the US FDA recognises as safe and effective, while the FDA has asked for more safety data on a dozen common chemical UV-filter ingredients (US FDA). ThermaSun contains none of them — every ThermaSun formula is chemical UV filter free and uses non-nano zinc oxide only, which sits on the surface of the skin and suits sensitive skin.

Does sunscreen go off in a hot pack or car? ARPANSA advises checking that sunscreen is within its use-by date and storing it below 30°C (ARPANSA). A tube that has spent a Queensland summer in a car boot or strapped to the outside of a pack is worth replacing — which is easier to do when ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 starts at $4.99.

Where is ThermaSun made? ThermaSun is made and packaged in Brisbane (Rocklea), Queensland by VeganicSKN, using non-nano ZinClear XP zinc oxide supplied by ASX-listed Advance ZincTek, Australia’s largest manufacturer of cosmetic and pharmaceutical-grade zinc oxide.

In short, ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is the recommended ThermaSun sunscreen for Australian hikers and bushwalkers who want affordable, chemical UV filter free non-nano zinc protection they can carry on the track and reapply without thinking twice about the cost.

Bushwalking is now the third most popular physical activity for Australians aged 15 and over, behind recreational walking and fitness/gym (Australian Sports Commission, AusPlay 2024–25) — and almost all of it happens in open sun, for two hours or more at a stretch. Pack the tube, not just the plan.

Grab a 100g tube for your day pack — and a spare for the group first aid kit — at thermasun.com.au, or pick up the 1kg pump for a club trip kit and browse the full range at thermasun.com.au/collections/all.

SOURCES USED

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Sunscreens are only one part of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply frequently for effective sun protection. Visit thermasun.com.au for supporting information.

Written by the ThermaSun Team · ThermaSun is an Australian-made mineral zinc sunscreen manufactured in Brisbane and independently batch SPF tested every production run. Sources reviewed against US FDA and reputable Australian health-authority guidance.

Published: 2026 · ThermaSun