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Sunscreen and Makeup for Hiking: The 4 Cosmetics I Carry Up the Mountain (164g)

2026.10.02

What do you do about makeup on a hiking day? You don't want to get sunburned — but you're going to sweat, you're up early, and you'd rather not spend much time in front of the mirror. I keep things simpler than usual on mountain days, too.

On the trail I focus on two things: sun protection, and choosing products that won't slide off when I sweat. These days I've almost stopped wearing foundation in the mountains altogether.

In this post I compare my everyday routine with what I use on hiking days — skincare, sunscreen, makeup, and the care I do once I'm home. At the end I weigh the pouch I actually carry. Everything here is easy to find at Japanese drugstores, and I bought all of it myself.

The short version: what changes on a hiking day

| | Everyday | Hiking day | |---|---|---| | Skincare | ELIXIR + HAKU | Same | | Sunscreen | Chosen for feel (SEKKISEI, by365) | Chosen for sweat, water and rub resistance (three Bioré UV Athlizm products, each for a different moment) | | Base | — | A one-step tone-up base | | Foundation | Yes | No — concealer only where needed | | Brows, liner, mascara | — | Sweat- and water-resistant picks | | Eyeshadow and blush | Separate | One product for both | | Lips | — | A tinted lip with UV protection | | What I carry | — | Four things — sunscreen, brows, lips, a small mirror (164g) |

You don't need to switch everything to "hiking" products. I keep what I already use and only change the few things where sweat and UV actually matter.

Skincare: exactly the same as usual

On a mountain you're outside for hours, the UV gets stronger as you climb, and you sweat a lot. So rather than creating a perfect face, my priority on the trail is protecting my skin from the sun while keeping everything as simple as possible. My skincare, though, doesn't change at all.

Lotion: ELIXIR Brightening Lotion

A medicated lotion with an active brightening ingredient that suppresses melanin production to help prevent dark spots and freckles (that's what I mean by "brightening" throughout this post). It also takes care of hydration and firmness, which makes it an easy fit for women around my age. With something you use every day, being able to keep using it without effort matters.

Serum: HAKU Melanofocus IV

A medicated brightening serum with two active brightening ingredients, 4MSK and m-tranexamic acid, plus dipotassium glycyrrhizate to help prevent rough skin. I use it morning and night, after lotion.

I don't think of it as a way to fix a sunburn overnight — it's something you keep using steadily. Buying only premium products for everything gets expensive, so I spend a little more where it matters and keep the rest easy to stick with.

Emulsion: ELIXIR Brightening Emulsion

A medicated emulsion with an active brightening ingredient, from the same line as the lotion. Up to this point nothing is different from my everyday routine. From here on, I switch to "mountain mode."

Sunscreen: different rules for everyday and the trail

Sunscreen is what I pay the most attention to on hiking days, and I use different products for daily life and for the mountains.

Everyday: chosen for how it feels

My everyday sunscreen is SEKKISEI Skincare UV Essence Gel N — SPF50+, PA++++, water resistance ★★. It's a fresh, non-sticky gel. Daily sunscreen can feel heavy or tacky, but this one really does feel like skincare and keeps skin moisturized, so it's my favorite for everyday wear.

The other one I use day to day is by365 Powdery UV Gel. It spreads like a watery gel but settles into a silky, dry finish — SPF50+, PA++++, water resistance ★★. If you dislike that sticky feeling after applying sunscreen, it's an easy one to live with, and it works on your body as well as your face.

On normal days I pick between these depending on how my skin feels, where I'm going, and what I feel like wearing.

On the trail: chosen for sweat, water and rub resistance

Hiking days are different. You're outside for hours and you sweat. So on the trail I care less about texture and more about how well a sunscreen stands up to sweat, water and rubbing.

That's why I use Bioré UV Athlizm in the mountains. The interesting part is that the same line has three products you can use at different moments of the day.

1. Morning: Protect Essence

This goes on before I leave. SPF50+, PA++++, water resistance ★★, and "super waterproof" — resistant to sweat, humidity and rubbing. The line is designed to stay on even in hot, humid conditions, which is reassuring on a sweaty hiking day. It works on both face and body, so in the morning I apply it generously as my base. My face is already done, so I make sure not to miss my neck, ears and the backs of my hands.

2. Body touch-ups on the move: Protect Mist

Reapplying halfway up is the tricky part. Rubbing gel into sweaty arms and legs again is honestly a hassle, so for my body I use the mist. You can spray it over sweaty skin, it works upside down, and you can use it on your hair and scalp too — handy when you're worried about burning along your part. It's a non-aerosol type, so there's no need to shake it or vent the gas. Also SPF50+, PA++++, water resistance ★★, super waterproof.

3. Face touch-ups: Protect Stick

This one is genuinely useful on the trail. Your hands stay clean and you can reapply over makeup. It's easy to get into small areas — the T-zone that burns easily, under the eyes, the neck, behind the ears. Cleaning your hands every time you want to reapply on your face is a real chore mid-hike, so a stick makes life easier. Also SPF50+, PA++++, water resistance ★★, super waterproof. It's sold only in some stores and online.

So the system is: essence as a solid base in the morning, mist for arms and legs while walking, stick for touching up your face. Which sunscreen you use matters, but in the mountains it helps even more to think ahead about *how you'll reapply* along the way.

And this applies to men just as much as women. You're exposed to UV for hours on a hike, so don't forget to pack your sunscreen.

Base: one product and done

Hiking mornings start really early. Apply this, then layer that on top… every extra step becomes a chore. ELIXIR Day Care Revolution Tone Up does it all in one, which makes mornings easy.

It's an SPF50+, PA++++ day emulsion; the Pure Beige shade evens out spots and uneven tone and instantly brightens your complexion. With something like this, I keep my base makeup as minimal as I can. For me, hiking makeup is less about adding things and more about taking things away.

Try skipping foundation in the mountains

This may be the biggest difference between my everyday routine and my mountain routine: I don't wear foundation on hiking days.

Instead I use the SAEM Cover Perfection Tip Concealer. Rather than covering my whole face, I only cover what bothers me — dark circles, spots, redness. It's rich but doesn't look cakey, and it doesn't shift much over the day.

That said, it's not a substitute for sunscreen. My UV protection comes from the Bioré UV Athlizm I mentioned above; the concealer just hides the few spots I'd rather not show. That's as far as I go.

If you're sweating and wiping your face with a towel all day, base makeup is going to break down anyway. I'd rather keep it light from the start and not worry about it. After all, it's exhausting to make it all the way up a mountain and spend the whole time wondering whether your foundation is sliding off.

Brows, liner and mascara that can take sweat and water

Brows: FASIO Waterproof Eyebrow

I can go without foundation, but I want my brows. On hiking days I use FASIO Waterproof Eyebrow. As the name says, it's waterproof, and the brand lists it as all-day wear that resists sweat, water, oil and rubbing. On a hike you're not just sweating — you're also pressing a towel to your face — so I choose brows that won't budge.

That said, you don't need to buy this one specifically. If the brow product you already use holds up to sweat, that's plenty.

Eyeliner: CANMAKE Creamy Touch Liner

The other thing I choose specifically for the mountains is eyeliner. It's a gel liner with an ultra-fine 1.5mm tip that's easy to work between the lashes. It's waterproof and smudge-proof, and once it dries and sets it really stays put. On hiking days I don't draw a bold line — I just fill in between my lashes a little, and that alone makes my eyes look a bit more defined. At ¥715 including tax, the price is nice too.

Mascara: Heroine Make Lash Hype

Nobody wants to realize halfway up a mountain that there are black smudges under their eyes. I use Heroine Make Lash Hype, a "super-grade" waterproof mascara that resists tears, sweat, water, oil and rubbing; the brand states it has 24-hour wear test data. It thickens each lash as well as lengthening, without clumping. I'm not trying to create dramatic lashes on the trail, so I just go for naturally defined eyes.

One product for eyeshadow and blush

This is another area where I don't want to carry more than I need. KATE Bouncy Cheek Shadow is made for both eyes and cheeks, so one compact gives you dimension and a healthy flush — no need to bring separate eyeshadow and blush. The shade I use, EX-1 Par Pink, is a limited edition released on September 5, 2026, and it's only available while stocks last.

This step isn't essential. If you're short on time in the morning, I think it's fine to skip it.

Lips: pick something with UV protection

Lips are the last step of my morning makeup. UV and dryness affect your lips on the trail too, so I choose a lip product with UV protection: SHISEIDO Suncare UV Lip Color Splash in Nairobi Orange. It's SPF35, PA+++, so you get color and lip sun protection in one.

Lips are hard to cover with regular sunscreen, so being able to add color while protecting them is a real help on hiking days. Nairobi Orange isn't a loud orange — it adds a natural flush and is very easy to wear. On the trail I think of it less as "lipstick" and more as lip sun protection with a little color.

Care after you get home

The part people tend to underestimate is what you do once you're home. After a full day of walking, you don't want to do anything at all.

First, remove everything properly

The first thing I do is take off my sunscreen and makeup, using FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil Black & Smooth. On top of the regular Mild Cleansing Oil, it adds pore care from three ingredients: charcoal, absorbent mud and black rice extract. The oil spreads fairly lightly. Even when I'm tired, I always get this step done properly.

After a lot of sun, check your skin first

Some days you walk all day and think, "I really got a lot of sun today." It's tempting to pile on products, but the first thing I check is whether my skin is red or stinging.

• If it's red and hot, cool it gently first.
• If it's bad enough to blister, it's safer to see a dermatologist.
• Once your skin has calmed down, moisturize simply.
• If there's no redness or stinging and your skin feels normal, go back to your usual lotion and emulsion.

I try not to fix everything in one night. HAKU isn't something that returns sunburned skin to normal overnight either — it's a medicated brightening serum that suppresses melanin production to help prevent spots and freckles, so it's something to keep using day in, day out.

A "plus one" for days spent entirely outdoors

On those days I sometimes add the TRANSINO Medicated Brightening Facial Mask. It was renewed in February 2026, and the brand itself presents it as moisturizing care for days when you've accidentally caught too much sun. It contains two active ingredients, tranexamic acid and glycyrrhizic acid 2K, and is designed for brightening care and preventing rough skin. You leave it on for about 10 minutes, one to two times a week.

However, the official instructions say to use it only after any redness and heat from sunburn have settled, so please don't use it while your skin still stings. Using it once also doesn't undo all the UV you got that day. I think of it as a "plus one" for days when I want to take a little extra care of my skin.

Only four things go up the mountain — and the pouch weighs 164g

I've lined everything up here, but I don't take all of it hiking. I do my makeup at home in the morning, and these are the only four things I actually carry:

1. Sunscreen (the stick for my face and the mist for my body) 2. Something to fix my brows 3. Lip color 4. A small mirror

Since the essence is already on as my base, the only sunscreens I carry are the face touch-up and the spray. Once I've used eyeliner, mascara and concealer in the morning, I don't think they need to come up the mountain.

This is a hiking channel, so of course I weighed it: 164g in total. Even your beauty kit gets the ultralight treatment on the trail.

Summary: it's fine to do less on hiking days

Laid out like this, you can see that hiking doesn't mean carrying a pile of special products.

• Skincare stays basically the same as usual.
• Take sun protection seriously on hiking days (morning, body and face each have their own product).
• Skip foundation and just conceal where you need to.
• Choose brows, liner and mascara that resist sweat and water.
• Use one product for eyeshadow and blush.
• When you get home, remove everything properly, check your skin, and moisturize.

At this level, it's easy to keep up even on early-morning hiking days. And of course, you don't need to buy everything I showed. If something you already own does the job, that's more than enough.

Above all, now that you've made it to the mountains, you'd rather enjoy the view than worry about your makeup, right? Doing just enough to stay comfortable, without forcing it, feels about right to me.

How much makeup do you wear on hiking days? Sunscreen only, brows only, or the same as always — I think everyone has their own way. If there's something you always bring up the mountain, please tell me in the YouTube comments.

For sun protection with clothing and hats, see 6 montbell pieces for UV protection.

*Everything in this post was bought with my own money (no sponsorship or PR). Prices, stock and the availability of limited-edition items are as of September 2026 and may change. Product pages are on Japanese stores.*

*As an Amazon Associate, Yoshimi Iwasaki earns from qualifying purchases.*

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This post contains affiliate links. Prices and specifications are as of the video's publication date. Most items are sold in Japan.

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