One of my favorite parts about summer is catching a few rays under the sun. I was blessed with naturally tan skin, but there are still days I leave the lounge chair with an irritating burn.
Instead of avoiding the sun entirely, I use a generic aloe vera to soothe the pain. However, I often skip it altogether because of the smell and sticky feeling it leaves on my body, resulting in painful, peeling skin.
At the beginning of this summer, I asked my family for suggestions to avoid buying another bottle of aloe. My sister said she was hooked on the Beautycounter Countersun After Sun Cooling Gel because it left her feeling refreshed at the end of the day.
While the price tag was higher than most drugstore products, I wasn't pleased with my current sunburn solution and decided to make the investment.
Beautycounter Countersun After Sun Cooling Gel
The Beautycounter Countersun Cooling Gel is a hydrating after-sun product designed to soothe and cool your skin on contact. It's formulated with aloe, California poppy extracts and fruit extracts that deliver immediate hydration to irritated skin.
Unlike most aloe vera products, this gel is clear and has a subtle coconut scent. Because of this, I'm actually eager to put it on after a day in the sun because I know it won't stain my clothes or make me smell musty.
While I'm tempted to use the Countersun gel the moment I walk inside, I always take a shower before applying it. This way, it goes on clean skin and acts as a moisturizer at the same time.
It has a $32 price tag, which is definitely on the more expensive side. Thankfully, a little goes a long way. I squeeze a quarter-size amount into my hand, and it's enough to cover my entire body. The formula is also extremely lightweight, which means it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave me feeling sticky for hours on end.
Although I just started using the Countersun gel this summer, I’ve been using other Beautycounter products for years. The California-based company strives to make clean beauty the norm by getting safer products into the hands of consumers.
According to the brand, there are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today, and many of those are used in beauty products. Beautycounter has something called “The Never List” — a list of over 1,800 questionable or harmful chemicals — and confirms that none of those ingredients are used in their products.
I'm not the only one who finds peace in knowing what I'm putting on my skin. Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum and Gabrielle Union, among others, are fans of the brand.
I've been pleased with most Beautycounter products and feel that they stand out in terms of quality. However, nothing has stood out like the Countersun After Sun Cooling Gel, and I'm thrilled to say the product is here to stay.
For more stories like this, check out:
- Achieve the perfect 'no-makeup' makeup look with these tinted moisturizers
- This Sun Bum sunscreen convinced me to wear SPF every day
- 6 affordable sunscreens Shop TODAY editors actually like wearing
To discover more deals, shopping tips and budget-friendly product recommendations, download the new TODAY app and subscribe to our Stuff We Love newsletter!