Every club outing has sun and has insects. Camp, trail, honors fair in the church courtyard, field activity to finish a class — the Pathfinder's skin stays exposed for hours. And then come the usual questions: do you apply the sunscreen or the repellent first? Can you use one product that does both things? My Pathfinder is 10 years old, can they use any repellent?
The good news is that these questions have an objective answer, and it doesn't come from package-insert guesswork. It comes from documents by the Brazilian Society of Dermatology (SBD), the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP), Fiocruz and the National Cancer Institute (INCA/Ministry of Health). This guide puts it all on one page, in the language of whoever needs to pack the backpack and look after a bunch of people outdoors.
It's neither fussiness nor exaggeration. A sunburn ruins a weekend and, repeated over a lifetime, is a risk factor for skin cancer; a mosquito bite, in Brazil, is a gateway to dengue, zika and chikungunya. You can prevent both with three simple gestures and the right order. Data verified on 07/23/2026 in the official sources listed at the end.
Why does this go into the planning of every outing?
Because the Pathfinder's body is the club's most expensive equipment — and the only one you can't buy again. A well-planned outing thinks about the tent, the food and transportation. The skin usually ends up left off the list, and it's precisely the skin that spends the whole day in the sun and within reach of the mosquito.
Two risks, two reasons. Strong sun burns on the same day and, added up over the years, is the main risk factor for skin cancer, according to INCA. The mosquito, in Brazil, transmits dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. Skin protection isn't vanity: it's the same logic as bringing the first-aid kit — you hope not to need it, but you don't leave without it.
And there's a detail that changes everything in a group activity: a child doesn't reapply on their own. The 10-year-old Pathfinder applies sunscreen in the morning, sweats all afternoon, gets in the river and no one remembers to reapply. The protection that works is the one the counselor and the leadership turn into a routine — a set time, the product in the backpack, an adult reminding everyone. The rest of this guide is about building that right routine.
Sunscreen: which, how much and how often?
Start with the number that matters: SPF 30 or higher. It's the recommendation of health authorities for daily use, and it matters even more on a full day in the sun. An SPF higher than 30 protects a little more, but does not last longer on the skin — no sunscreen does away with reapplication.
On timing, INCA is direct: apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before exposing yourself to the sun and reapply every 2 hours, or whenever you sweat a lot, get in the water or dry off with a towel. Keep that rhythm: the morning doesn't cover the afternoon, and the cream from the start doesn't make it to the river swim.
Amount counts too. Everyone's tendency is to apply too little. Cover all exposed skin with a generous layer and don't forget the spots no one remembers: ears, nape, neck, the top of the feet and the back of the knees and legs of whoever's wearing shorts. The face, yes, but away from the eyes.
An honest note about the package insert: sunscreen doesn't replace shade. INCA itself advises seeking covered areas during the hours of strongest radiation, because shade reduces the intensity of ultraviolet radiation by up to 50%. The cream is the last layer of defense, not the only one.
Repellent by age: what's allowed in each range?
Here the rule isn't about the brand, it's about age and active ingredient — and it exists because a child's skin absorbs more than an adult's. The good news for the club: every Pathfinder is 10 years old or more, that is, in the range where conventional repellents are allowed. The table below sums up the guidance of the dermatology and pediatrics societies.
| Age range | What medical guidance allows | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 months | No chemical repellent | Only mosquito net and protective clothing |
| 6 months to 2 years | Only with medical guidance and supervision, in special situations | 'Natural' repellents are not recommended (volatile and not very effective) |
| Over 2 years (includes every Pathfinder) | DEET up to 10% or icaridin, following the label | DEET up to 10%: at most 3 applications per day from ages 2 to 12 |
Translating the names that show up on the bottle: DEET is the oldest and most studied repellent; for children, the recommended concentration goes up to 10%. Icaridin (also written 'icaridine' or 'KB3023') usually comes at 25% and offers longer protection, in the range of 8 to 10 hours. IR3535 is allowed from 6 months and protects for about 4 hours. A higher concentration lasts longer — it doesn't repel 'more strongly'.
How to apply without a mistake, following SBP's guidance: apply only on exposed skin; never on the eyes, the mouth or on skin with a wound or scrape. On a child, the adult applies it first on their own hands and then spreads it on the child's skin — that keeps them from putting the product in their mouth. Wash your hands after applying and remove the repellent in the shower when the activity ends. And read the label: each product has its own rule for age and number of applications.
Read alsoHypothermia, heatstroke and dehydrationWhich to apply first — and why wait?
This is the question that confuses people the most, and the answer is firm: sunscreen first, repellent after. Fiocruz and SBP are clear on this — if you reverse the order, the repellent loses effectiveness.
The reason is physical. The sunscreen needs to be absorbed by the skin to form the barrier against UV rays. The repellent acts on top, evaporating slowly to keep the mosquito away. If the cream goes over the repellent, it pushes and dilutes that layer that wards off the insect. That's why the sequence is: apply the sunscreen, wait for it to dry (about 20 minutes) and only then apply the repellent.
Combine it with the sunscreen's timing and it's easy to remember: apply the sunscreen about 30 minutes before heading out into the sun; when it's already dry on the skin, apply the repellent right before starting the activity. One doesn't run over the other.
And the '2-in-1' products, that promise to protect from the sun and the mosquito in the same bottle? The medical guidance is to avoid them. The two need different reapplication rhythms — the sunscreen every 2 hours, the repellent as the label says — and combining everything into a single product makes you reapply too much of what doesn't need it and too little of what does. Two separate bottles, in the right order, protect better.
Reapplying: the step almost everyone skips
Applying well in the morning and thinking it's taken care of is the most common camp mistake. Neither of the two products is for the whole day.
Sunscreen: reapply every 2 hours. And before that whenever there's heavy sweating, a river swim, a pool or a towel-dry — because those three things take the product off the skin. On a day of field activity with sun and water, that can mean reapplying four or five times. It's laborious, and it's what works.
Repellent: follow the interval on the product's label, which changes according to the active ingredient and the concentration. Reapply also after swimming, sweating a lot or drying off. A detail that fools people: applying more repellent at once doesn't increase protection or make it last longer — what renews the barrier is reapplying at the right time, not the amount.
A logistics tip for the counselor: turn reapplication into part of the schedule, not something that depends on each person's memory. A reminder mid-morning and another mid-afternoon, the sunscreen kept in an easy-to-reach spot, and an adult responsible for circulating and reminding. The child won't remember on their own — and it's precisely the child who needs it most.
Clothing, timing and shade: the protection that doesn't come out of a tube
There's a protection that doesn't run out, doesn't need reapplication and doesn't run off with sweat: clothing. It covers where the cream doesn't reach and is the first line of defense against sun and mosquito at the same time.
Against the mosquito, the guidance is light, loose, long-sleeved clothing and long pants. Light because dark colors attract the mosquito; loose because very tight clothing lets the insect bite through the fabric. Against the sun, add to that a wide-brimmed hat and glasses with UV protection, as INCA recommends. It's no coincidence that the Pathfinder's field uniform tends to be like this.
And the timing weighs more than it seems. Ultraviolet radiation is most intense between 10am and 4pm. When you can choose, fit the most sun-heavy activities outside that window and reserve the middle of the day for what can be done in the shade — under a tree, an awning or a tarp. Shade alone already cuts a good part of the radiation, and no sunscreen does that job as well as getting out of the direct line of the sun.
Add up the layers and you have a system: clothing and shade do the bulk, sunscreen and repellent cover the skin that stayed exposed. None of them, alone, handles a whole day outdoors.
The kit and who decides: from the backpack to consent
Much of this becomes, in practice, a backpack list and a conversation with the family. It's worth separating what is health guidance (the same for everyone) from what is the decision of the club and the parents (varies case by case).
What health defines, and isn't up for debate: the sunscreen-then-repellent order, the SPF 30, the reapplication intervals and the repellent age rule. This comes from the medical societies and INCA, and it's the same thing in any club in Brazil.
What the club and the family decide together: which specific product to bring, who applies it on the minors and how that fits into the schedule. Here comes a care that every good club already practices — applying a product on the skin of a minor is arranged with the guardian beforehand. Some Pathfinders are allergic to a component of sunscreen or repellent; the registration health form exists for that. When in doubt about a specific case, the one who advises is the child's doctor or dermatologist, not the generic package insert.
A simple skin-protection kit to put on the list for any outing: SPF 30 or higher sunscreen (one per Pathfinder, or shared bottles with organized reapplication); age-appropriate repellent, checked on the label; a cap or wide-brimmed hat; and, when the route has trail or brush, the guidance to go in long sleeves and pants. The principle behind all of this is old and simple: taking care of the body is part of taking care of the Pathfinder. Outdoor adventure is the heart of the club — and it lasts longer, and is happier, when no one comes back burned or covered in bites.