Summer skin care: How to keep that hot fun from turning into a hot mess

Key Points

Summer is for outdoor fun, but poison ivy, bug bites, and harsh sunlight are no picnic for the skin. Adding insult to injury, some year-round skin problems are exacerbated by summer heat and humidity. Fortunately, manufacturers are offering new products to prevent or ameliorate this summer's skin troubles.

Sunblock

Body wash

The Aveeno Positively Nourishing Antioxidant Body Wash collection offers 2 new scents: blackberry and vanilla, and white peach and ginger. Fortified with antioxidants, these products repair cellular damage and destroy free radicals while providing 24-hour hydration and relief for itchy, dry skin irritation.

Aveeno's hypoallergenic Smart Essentials collection uses saccharides and polyphenols to cleanse, nourish, protect, and treat stressed skin, infusing the moisture barrier with antioxidants and vitamins. This line includes Pore Purifying Facial Wash, Daily Detoxifying Scrub, Daily Nourishing Moisturizer (with SPF30), Nighttime Moisture Infusion, and Anti-fatigue Eye Treatment.

Toner

Lip protection

Lips get sunburned, too! To protect them, the CDC recommends applying a lip balm that contains sunscreen, preferably with an SPF of 15 or higher. Two such products are new from Chapstick.

At SPF 30, lemon-lime ChapStick Ultra 30, with aloe and vitamin E, moisturizes and relieves dry, chapped lips.

Sun care

Merck Consumer Care offers 5 new Coppertone sun-care products for 2011.

New in the Coppertone Sport family is High Performance Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100+ for active adults. This waterproof and sweatproof product won't run into eyes and sting. Antioxidants combat extreme conditions such as heat, humidity, and vigorous exercise, and help replenish the skin's natural defenses.

Two products have been added to the Coppertone Water Babies family. Sunscreen Foaming Lotion SPF 75+ is soft and gentle for babies' skin. The mild waterproof formula will not sting or irritate skin and offers broad-spectrum sun protection.

Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 offers tear-free, broad-spectrum sun protection that is oil- and fragrance-free, and ultragentle for babies' delicate skin and eyes.

Also new is Coppertone Tanning Lotion SPF 15, a waterproof, nongreasy formula offering broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection as well as aloe and vitamin E to moisturize the skin.