No matter what time of year it is, coconut — in all its forms — is everywhere. Loaded with antioxidants, the nourishing wunderfruit has made its way into all manner of foods, wellness rituals (Gwyneth Paltrow famously swishes its extracted oil around her mouth for whiter, brighter teeth) and beauty products.
But something about the sun and humidity of summer makes us crave all things coconut even more. The frozen beverages that first brought the tropical fruit to fame. And also coconutty moisturizers, masks and makeup. Maybe it’s an olfactory thing. Because when it’s hot and the smell is wafting off our skin and hair, it’s easy to shut our eyes and imagine we’re on a tropical beach.
In any case, why not indulge? (It’s a fact that coconut oil makes your hair and skin look great and that the water and butter versions hydrate.) Above, we’ve compiled a list of 10 coconut-infused products that make us feel cheery and ready for summer, from a dual hair-face sunscreen that takes the guilt out of laying out by the pool to a fun, peachy highlighter that looks especially great with a tan.
Coconut Beauty Products
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Marc Jacobs Beauty
Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter, $45 at Sephora
Marc Jacobs Beauty launched a series of products based on that beauty and health MacGyver, the coconut. (More specifically, coconut water. Jacobs adores it.) This particular jelly-like highlighter features five(!) forms of coconut and provitamin B5 to help hydrate and nourish skin. As one would expect, it's super creamy. And while the color payoff is slightly insane, the shimmery golden-peach sheen makes for the perfect summer evening glam. Use it sparingly, but, like, every night.
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Sol De Janeiro
Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, $45 at Sephora
In addition to smelling fantastic — Shawn Mendes once tweeted that it was the “best smelling cream in the world” — this all-over body lotion acts as a nice moisture barrier (care of the coconut oil and cupuaçu butter within) and gives your skin a nice, subtle glow (via glittery mica). The formula also contains a touch of guaraná, i.e. caffeine, which ostensibly helps tighten your skin.
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Kopari
Coconut Sheer Oil, $44 at Sephora
Regardless of your skin type, this moisturizer is a really ideal summer purchase. It’s super lightweight, but packed with coconut oil and shea tris, which promote hydration and help with skin restoration. Also, it absorbs super quickly and leaves behind no sticky residue, meaning it works extremely well under foundation and is just generally pleasant to wear.
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Too Cool For School
Coconut Ceramide Mask, $2 at Too Cool For School
New York City-based Korean makeup artist Seong Hee Park swears by these coconut water and ceramides-soaked masks. (The former hydrates and brightens skin, the latter creates a healthy moisture barrier.) For those whose skin has been sensitized and dried-out by heat, AC or air travel — you know, the typical summer woes — these are excellent re-texturizers.
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Coco & Eve
Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque, $50 at Revolve
It’s not exactly a secret that heat, sun and chlorine are not kind to your strands. Every summer, dry, dull hair is just waiting to happen. To avoid it, stock up on cute hats and conditioning hair masks like this one from Coco & Eve. It’s so concentrated (with shea butter, fig and linseed extracts and coconut and argan oils) that you only have to leave it in for about 10 to 15 minutes for smoother, stronger, glossier, super-hydrated hair. It's also sulfate-, paraben- and gluten-free, completely vegan and works on all hair types.
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RMS Beauty
"Un" Cover-Up, $36 at Violet Grey
RMS Beauty founder Rose-Marie Swift, makeup artist to Gisele Bündchen and Miranda Kerr, uses only the finest centrifuge-pressed coconut oil in her natural-beauty line. This lightweight, hydrating, buildable concealer is perfect for summer, when you want to hide (and heal!) imperfections whilst still looking natural and effortless. Yes, even in direct sunlight.
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Herbivore Botanicals
Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist, $32 at DermStore
Face mists: not just expensive water. This one from Herbivore Botanicals, which also makes a killer Coconut Oil Body Polish, is super hydrating and helps soothe redness and inflammation. It works great as a setting spray — spritz some on and watch your makeup literally melt into your face — or as a 3:00 p.m. skin pick-me-up, especially on scorching summer days.
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Fresh
Sugar Coconut Hydrating Lip Balm, $18 at Fresh
OK, so there's no actual coconut in this lip balm, but it does offer all the benefits of Fresh's beauty-editor-beloved Sugar Lip Treatment — 24-hour hydration, subtle shine, soft, smooth, plump lips — plus a yummy coconut-creamy taste. We're allowed one purely festive pick, no?
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CoverGirl
Flourish by LashBlast Mascara, $7.99 at Target
Any beauty freak worth their triple-digit Insider Points knows that applying coconut oil to your lashes will both condition and stimulate hair growth (if you do it daily). Going off of that, CoverGirl's mascara promises to help lashes look their best, grow and thrive by harnessing the natural hair-enhancing powers of coconut oil, papaya and avocado. Also, the brush — which is very similar to the O.G. LashBlast Volume brush — is great for fanning out outer corner lashes, creating that sought-after dramatic, winged effect.
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EiR NYC
Surf Mud, $24 at EiR NYC
Seeing as sunscreen dominates our summer skin care and makeup routines, we figured we'd leave you with this waterproof, cocoa butter and coconut oil-fortified sunscreen, which works just as well on hair as it does skin. It was originally made for surfers/those who participate in extreme water sports, but the ozone layer being what it now is, we'd say poolside tanning counts.
