Meaning & use
après-sun
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
used for products that soothe or care for skin after being in the sun
Grammar: It almost always comes before a noun, as in 'après-sun lotion'; it is not used after a verb.
Patterns
- après-sun product
- après-sun care
After a day at the beach, she applied an après-sun lotion to calm her skin.
The brand launched a new après-sun range with aloe and cucumber.
He packed an après-sun cream for their holiday in Greece.
nouncountable or uncountable
a product applied to the skin after sun exposure to soothe it
Grammar: Can be countable ('an après-sun') or uncountable ('some après-sun') depending on whether you mean a product or the substance.
Patterns
- apply après-sun
- a bottle of après-sun
Don't forget the après-sun — your shoulders look pink.
She sells a gentle après-sun that smells like coconut.
Common combinations
- après-sun lotion
- He smoothed après-sun lotion over his arms.
- après-sun care
- Good après-sun care can stop peeling.
- apply après-sun
- Apply après-sun within an hour of leaving the sun.
Synonyms and how they differ
- after-sun
- The plain English equivalent, more common in everyday speech.
- after-sun lotion
- A specific product type; 'après-sun' can refer to the whole category.
Commonly confused: après-sun or après-ski?
après-sun vs après-ski
Refers to social activities after skiing, not skincare after sun.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'après-sun' naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Après-sun' is a noun or adjective for after-sun products; it is not a verb or an activity, so only option C fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “après-sun”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.