Cenote-safe · mineral filter
UV index 12 most of the year, salt water, chlorine, cenotes and 80% humidity. Life here happens outdoors 365 days a year. This is what survives that, picked piece by piece for this climate.
Piel de Aquí station · 20.21° N Tuesday 29 September
clear sky
not today
fair skin, unprotected
06:44 → 18:34
Calculated from the sun's position for this latitude, clear sky at sea level — not a measurement. Cloud, water and sand change it.
Tulum's UV index goes above 11 — “extreme” on the World Health Organization scale — seven months a year, and never drops below 6, not even in December. London touches that number for about two weeks in July.
This isn't brochure trivia: it changes which product you need and how often you replace it. A sunscreen that lasts a whole season in a temperate climate is gone here in six weeks.
| jan | 7 |
|---|---|
| feb | 9 |
| mar | 11 |
| apr | 12 |
| may | 13 |
| jun | 13 |
| jul | 13 |
| aug | 12 |
| sep | 11 |
| oct | 9 |
| nov | 7 |
| dec | 6 |
Peak midday UV index under clear sky, for Tulum's latitude (20° N). WHO scale: 0-2 low, 3-5 moderate, 6-7 high, 8-10 very high, 11 or more extreme.
Nobody goes looking for “a serum”. You look for what to put on before the beach and what to put on when you get back burnt. The range is sorted that way.
This close to the equator UV is high all 365 days, sand and water bounce it back at you, and up to 80% of it goes through cloud. Overcast days burn you too.
See more 02 After the sun
For skin that's red and hot after a day out there. Instant cool-down and deep hydration.
See more 03 Against mosquitoes
At dusk and near the jungle or a cenote, the mosquitoes clock in. Biodegradable repellent, because it ends up in the water too.
See more
High protection from a 100% zinc oxide mineral filter, with no oxybenzone or octinoxate. Spreads easily and leaves no greasy feel.
A fragrance-free, lightweight mineral facial sunscreen with centella and panthenol for skin that goes red easily.
Hydrates and soothes that burning feeling after a day in the sun, with aloe vera, panthenol and coconut water.
A citronella repellent that helps protect against mosquito bites, with aloe to ease the itch from the ones you already have.
This isn't expensive brand versus cheap brand. It's that most sunscreen sold here was formulated for somewhere else.
| Piel de Aquí | Pharmacy sunscreen | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry to cenotes and eco-parks | Mineral filter, without the two banned ingredients | Nearly always contains octinoxate or oxybenzone |
| Built for 80% humidity | Light textures, no heavy film | Formulated for a temperate, dry climate |
| Replacing it | Same-day delivery in the area | You go and find it, and in high season it's gone |
| What you're told about it | Actives, how to use it, and what it doesn't do | A big claim on the front and little else |
| If it doesn't work for you | 30 days, no explanation needed | Back to the shop, if they let you |
“Pharmacy sunscreen” is the category, not a specific brand: there are good exceptions and they're easy to spot, because they say mineral filter on the front.
Eight questions about your sun, your water and your air conditioning. At the end I tell you what to use and in what order — and what you don't need.
Start the test
You landed without reef-safe sunscreen and you've got a cenote booked tomorrow. Body, face, after-sun and mosquitoes: what you need today, not tomorrow.
You live here and the sun never takes a day off. Matte facial sunscreen for the humidity, body cream and spray, and after-sun for the evening.
You've got tattoos and you'll be in the sea every day. Very water-resistant protection for the ink, spray for your back, after-sun and repellent.
The sunscreen uses a mineral filter and contains no oxybenzone or octinoxate. That's the list they check at the gate of the local cenotes, not a label I made up. Check it on any bottle, here or anywhere else.
If it doesn't work with your skin and your climate, send it back. No explanation asked for and no small print. If something arrives damaged, a photo on WhatsApp the same day and I replace it.
Card through Stripe, instalments or cash at OXXO through Mercado Pago, or cash on delivery. The card form is served by the payment provider on its own domain: no card number is ever seen or stored here.
The shop opens with none. When your order arrives I'll write to you once to ask how it went, and whatever you answer gets published as it is, good or bad.
Clip and keep
Free delivery from $800
Tulum to Cancún, same day when you order before the cut-off. No code, no minimum trickery, no countdown: it is simply the rule.
Ask before you buyIf something isn't here, ask on WhatsApp. A person answers.
WhatsAppBy card — Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Apple Pay — through Stripe; in instalments or cash at OXXO through Mercado Pago; or cash on delivery, closing the order on WhatsApp. The card form lives on the payment provider's domain: no card number ever passes through this site.
Yes, within the cut-off for your area: Tulum until 2 pm, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras and Akumal until 1 pm, Cancún and Puerto Morelos until noon. After that it goes out the next day. No delivery on Sundays and public holidays. Pickup in Tulum is ready in two hours and costs nothing.
That the sunscreen uses a mineral filter and contains no oxybenzone or octinoxate, the two ingredients they check for at the gate of the area's parks and cenotes. It isn't a label of ours: it's their list. You can check it on any bottle, here or anywhere else.
Oily skin that also feels tight underneath is almost always short of water, not producing too much oil. Washing more often makes it worse. The skin test is eight questions and gives you three or four products in the order you use them, instead of a generic list.
You have 30 days. If it doesn't work with your skin and your climate, send it back — no justification asked for. If something arrives damaged, send me a photo on WhatsApp the same day and I'll replace it.
No, and nobody selling cosmetics should tell you otherwise. These are cosmetics, not medicines: they protect, hydrate, calm and cleanse. A skin condition is assessed by a dermatologist. If something appears and doesn't settle, that's the appointment to make.
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