Why 'Waterproof' Sunscreen Doesn't Exist in the US

The One Word US Sunscreen Cannot Say

By Eugene Kim, Co-founder & Product Lead, HAESKN (former packaging design lead at Clinique, Estée Lauder Companies). Reviewed with Sherril HwangBo, Co-founder & Creative Director, former design director at LVMH.

Published 2026-06-16.

Short answer: No sunscreen sold in the US can legally be called "waterproof." Since 2011, the FDA has prohibited the terms "waterproof," "sweatproof," and "sunblock" on over-the-counter sunscreens because they overstate how well a product works. The compliant claim is "water resistant," and it has to state a duration: 40 or 80 minutes.

What the FDA banned, and why

In 2011, the FDA announced new labeling requirements for over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen products marketed in the US. Under those rules, manufacturers cannot label a sunscreen "waterproof" or "sweatproof," nor call it a "sunblock". The agency's reasoning is direct: those claims overstate effectiveness.

The logic holds up under scrutiny. No sunscreen is truly waterproof. Water and sweat wash it off, which means a "waterproof" label misleads people into believing they are protected indefinitely. Someone who thinks their sunscreen is permanent stays out longer, reapplies less, and burns. The word itself creates the risk.

So the FDA replaced an absolute promise with an honest, measurable one. Instead of "waterproof," a sunscreen may be labeled "water resistant" and must state the duration it was tested for: 40 minutes or 80 minutes, measured under an FDA testing protocol. The number is not marketing. It is the result of a standardized test that shows how long the SPF holds up during water immersion.

If you want the mechanics of that test and why the number is 40 or 80 rather than anything in between, we broke it down in why water-resistant sunscreen says 40 or 80 minutes.

Water resistant vs. waterproof, side by side

The distinction is small in language and large in law. Here is how the two stack up:

Claim | Status in the US | What it implies
"Waterproof" | Banned | Protection lasts indefinitely in water (false)
"Sweatproof" | Banned | Protection survives any amount of sweat (false)
"Sunblock" | Banned | Blocks 100% of UV (false)
"Water resistant (40 minutes)" | Allowed | SPF holds for 40 minutes of water exposure, tested
"Water resistant (80 minutes)" | Allowed | SPF holds for 80 minutes of water exposure, tested

The American Academy of Dermatology echoes the same guidance: read the label for "water resistant" and its time rating, and reapply at least every two hours, and sooner after swimming or sweating. The duration on the label is a reapplication cue, not a guarantee.

The cosmetic-vs-drug gap that trips up imported sunscreens

Here is where many products run into trouble at the US border, and it has nothing to do with quality.

In Korea, much of Asia, and the EU, sunscreen is frequently regulated as a cosmetic. In the US, sunscreen is an over-the-counter drug. That single classification difference changes everything about how a product can be tested, formulated, and labeled. Drug status means stricter, federally enforced rules on exactly which words appear on the package.

A sunscreen formulated and labeled for a cosmetic regime abroad can carry claims that are perfectly legal in its home market and prohibited the moment it is sold as a drug in the US. "Waterproof" is the textbook example. A product that says "waterproof" on its original packaging is compliant in one regulatory world and noncompliant in another.

This is not a knock on any single product. It is a structural gap. When a brand imports a sunscreen built for a cosmetic framework and sells it into the US OTC drug framework without re-engineering the label, the overstated claim comes along for the ride. Some K-beauty sunscreens have hit exactly this wall. The chemistry can be excellent and the label can still be out of bounds.

If you are an athlete or a frequent swimmer trying to sort out which imported products actually meet US standards, we covered the regulatory side in are Korean sunscreens FDA approved.

The legal landscape: what overstated claims invite

Overstated claims are not just a regulatory footnote. They carry real legal exposure.

Across the sunscreen category, false-advertising consumer class actions have been filed over claims that allegedly overstate protection, including over the use of "waterproof"-style language. Reporting on these filings notes that imported K-beauty sunscreens have faced consumer class-action lawsuits over "waterproof" and similar claims.

Two things are worth keeping straight here. First, these are allegations in filed lawsuits, not proven findings of wrongdoing by any company. A class action being filed means a plaintiff has raised a claim, nothing more. Second, the pattern is category-wide, not unique to any one brand. The common thread is the regulatory principle: when a label promises more than a sunscreen can deliver, it invites scrutiny, both from regulators and from consumers.

For a brand, the lesson is not "avoid getting caught." The lesson is that the FDA's labeling rules exist precisely because absolute claims mislead, and building to that standard from the start removes the risk entirely.

How HAESKN was built compliant

HAESKN started on the right side of this line by design, not by correction.

The brand was founded by Korean-American partners who understood the US regulatory bar from day one. That dual perspective matters here. The founders knew Korean formulation strengths and US OTC drug rules at the same time, so the product was engineered for the US framework from the first label draft rather than imported and retrofitted.

"We reviewed the US OTC drug rules before we wrote a single line of copy, because we were building for the US bar from the start," says Eugene Kim, HAESKN co-founder and product lead. "Our team is Korean-American, so we knew the US regulatory standard going in. That is why our label says 'water resistant (80 minutes)' instead of overstating it. We would rather tell you exactly how long it lasts than promise something no sunscreen can deliver."

The product reflects that discipline. HAESKN is US-manufactured and FDA-compliant as an over-the-counter drug. It uses FDA-approved chemical (organic) UV filters, it is clear with no white cast, and it is labeled "water resistant (80 minutes)," never "waterproof." At $24, it is built to do exactly what the label says and say exactly what it does.

FAQ

Is any sunscreen actually waterproof?

No. No sunscreen is truly waterproof. Water and sweat wash it off over time, which is why the FDA prohibits the term. The honest claim is "water resistant," with a tested duration of 40 or 80 minutes.

Why does my sunscreen say "water resistant (80 minutes)" instead of "waterproof"?

Because US rules require it. Since 2011, the FDA has banned "waterproof" on OTC sunscreens and requires "water resistant" plus the duration the product was tested for. An 80-minute rating means the SPF held up through 80 minutes of water immersion under an FDA testing protocol.

Why do some imported sunscreens still say "waterproof"?

Often because they were formulated and labeled for markets where sunscreen is regulated as a cosmetic, such as Korea, much of Asia, and the EU. In the US, sunscreen is an OTC drug with stricter labeling rules, so a claim that is legal abroad can be noncompliant here.

Have sunscreen brands been sued over "waterproof" claims?

False-advertising consumer class actions have been filed across the category over claims that allegedly overstate protection, including against some imported K-beauty sunscreens. These are allegations in filed suits, not proven findings of wrongdoing, and the issue is category-wide rather than tied to any one brand.

How often should I reapply water-resistant sunscreen?

Reapply at least every two hours, and sooner after swimming, sweating, or toweling off. The 40- or 80-minute rating tells you how long the SPF holds during water exposure, so treat it as a reapplication cue, not a guarantee of all-day protection.

The bottom line

"Waterproof" has been illegal on US sunscreens since 2011 because no sunscreen is waterproof, and the term misleads people into thinking they are protected indefinitely.

The compliant claim is "water resistant" with a tested 40- or 80-minute duration, and the cosmetic-vs-drug gap is why some imported sunscreens still carry banned language.

HAESKN was built for the US bar from day one by Korean-American founders, so it is labeled "water resistant (80 minutes)," never "waterproof."

Want a sunscreen that says exactly what it does and does exactly what it says? HAESKN SPF 50 is $24, US-manufactured, FDA-compliant, clear with no white cast, and water resistant for 80 minutes.

About the authors. Eugene Kim is co-founder and product lead at HAESKN and previously led packaging design at Clinique within the Estée Lauder Companies. Sherril HwangBo is co-founder and creative director at HAESKN and was formerly a design director at LVMH. HAESKN was founded by Korean-American partners and is US-manufactured and FDA-compliant as an over-the-counter drug, using FDA-approved chemical (organic) filters and labeled "water resistant (80 minutes)."

Sources

FDA: Questions and Answers — New Requirements for OTC Sunscreen Products (2011)

FDA: Sunscreen — How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun

American Academy of Dermatology: Understand Sunscreen Labels

classaction.org: Class action challenges "waterproof" and UV-protection claims on certain imported sunscreens