Bottom line…never let your skin burn. Under any circumstances. For any reason. Full stop.

For those of you who, like us, love the ocean, love the sun, and love being out on the water, not burning is just the first step in caring for your skin.

Let’s go over the risks and the mitigations one at a time.

If you want to learn how bad sun exposure can be for your skin, read this article from the National Institute of Health:

Sun and Skin: The Dark Side of Sun Exposure

In short: over-exposure to sun is really bad for you. It ages your skin prematurely and damages your DNA, which causes tumors and lesions, including malignant melanoma (skin cancer).

Yes, sun helps you produce vitamin D, which is good for your bones. But 10-15 minutes a day is all you need.

Being on the water only makes things worse. If you love the sun and love being out on the water like we do, your risk of sun exposure is amplified. Sunlight, including UVA / UVB, reflects off the water and off smooth boat surfaces. You end up getting a much higher dose of sun than everyone else.

SABIYA is a physical sunscreen that uses natural mineral ingredients to reflect sunlight and UVA / UVB away from exposed skin. (Chemical sunscreens work by converting sunlight into heat, but we would rather not have UV going into our skin at all. Besides, most chemical sunscreens stain clothes and boat surfaces).

But there’s more to our story.

SABIYA is formulated with five beneficial and nourishing ingredients that actively fight against solar damage DNA damage. These ingredients, derived from sea kelp (which has been evolving natural sun defenses for 4.5 billion years), are rich in anti-oxidants that neutralize free radicals caused by sun exposure. They also rich in nourishing vitamins and minerals that support healthy skin regeneration.

There’s no reason to shy away from taking a swim in the sea when the opportunity presents itself. Salt water is a natural exfoliator that can scrub away dead skin and open pores. Sea water is also rich in beneficial minerals including magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and sulphur. There is evidence that salt water improves conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

On the negative side, saltwater has a high PH that can dry your skin. This can cause discoloration, increase your risk of infection, and interfere with healthy skin function.

SABIYA contains ingredients that act as a moisture barrier while you are in the water. (Remember to re-apply SABIYA in Water every 80 minutes, and let it dry – cure – before getting back in the water). Next, SABIYA is formulated with a combination of highly effective humectants, which actively moisturize the skin during and after water activities, and emollients, which soften the skin and help it retain moisture.

Even without the SPF sun protection, SABIYA could stand alone as one of the finest skin moisturizers available.

There’s not much to say about the virtues of wind except that we love it. It powers our sailboats. And it makes hot, humid air tolerable.

But wind is enormously dehydrating. It breaks down your skin’s moisture-retaining barrier called the “epidermis,” and faster than you might think. This begins a downward spiral. A weakened epidermis allows more of the sun’s UV rays to penetrate the skin and wreak havoc. Wind now acts as a direct irritant that causes the upper layers of skin to slough off, leaving the newly exposed skin more vulnerable to damage.

SABIYA prevents moisture loss by helping the skin retain moisture by creating a protective barrier, which does double duty by reflecting UV rays away from skin. Again – we can’t stress this enough – reapply SABIYA in Sun or SABIYA in Water at least once every two hours during peak sun periods or in moderate-to-high winds. And make sure to drink plenty of water – more than you think you need to.

Being a sun and sea enthusiast doesn’t mean you are condemned to leathery, wrinkled skin later in life. Sensible precautions now can make all the difference. SABIYA will give you the protection you need for healthy skin at sea and beautiful skin for a lifetime.