Specialist care after swimming

SwimShield™ 5C

after-swim shampoo and body wash

Wash away swimming residues while leaving skin moisturised and hair softer and smoother.

Developed by Max Biocare, SwimShield™ 5C combines specialist cleansing, moisturising care and built-in hair conditioning in our three after-swim shampoo and body washes. Each formula addresses swimming residues while helping leave skin soft and hair easier to manage after rinsing.

All three washes achieved more than 80% chlorine reduction and more than 80% bromine reduction.

Chlorine and bromine were assessed separately in laboratory test solutions after one minute.1

How the results were measured

See the test results Explore the five actions

Pool · sea · open water

Children 2+ years

SwimProtect 2-in-1+
View results →
Teens and tweens

Swim-Fresh
View results →
Adults

Swim Soothe
View results →

The care behind the five actions

What swimming can leave behind

After swimming, skin can feel dry or itchy, and hair may feel dry, brittle or tangled. A green tint can also develop when copper deposits on the strands. 4, 5, 7, 9 The five SwimShield actions combine residue cleansing with moisturising and conditioning to help leave skin soft and hair smoother and easier to manage.

The concern after swimming	What needs attention	Relevant SwimShield™ 5C action
Chlorine and bromine residues These disinfectants help keep treated pools and spas hygienic. Salt-chlorinated pools use chlorine; treatment in mineral pools varies. 6	Reducing disinfectant residues is one part of cleansing after a swim; moisturising and conditioning address the dryness and roughness you may notice afterwards. 1, 4, 5, 9	Counter Chlorine
Green or discoloured hair after swimming Copper deposits are one cause of hair discolouration and can give lighter hair an unwanted green tint. 7	Helping carry copper residue from hair into the rinse so that it can be washed away. 1	Capture Minerals
Salt and oily films Sunscreen can leave a film, as can body oils and hair products. 8 After a sea swim, salt may also remain as skin and hair dry.	A fresh-water rinse helps remove sea salt. Cleansing then helps lift oily material that rinsing alone may leave behind. 1, 8	Cleanse Residue, following a fresh-water rinse
Dry or itchy skin after swimming Time in the water can affect skin moisture and surface oils. Dry skin may itch after swimming. 4, 5, 9	Moisturising and skin-conditioning ingredients help leave skin feeling soft after rinsing.	Comfort Skin
Dry, brittle or tangled hair after swimming Hair may feel dry, brittle or rough after swimming, with strands catching against one another and becoming harder to comb. 9	Built-in conditioning helps soften the strands and make hair easier to handle after washing. 9	Condition Hair

For a fuller explanation of how pool and open-water swimming can affect skin and hair, explore our Skin and Hair Care Before and After Swimming guide.

Read why swimming changes how skin and hair feel→

Developed by Max Biocare

How the five actions work together

Removing swimming residues is one part of after-swim care; skin may also need moisture, and hair may need conditioning to feel smoother and easier to handle. Max Biocare developed SwimShield™ 5C to bring these needs together in a single shampoo and body wash.

Counter ChlorineHelps reduce chlorine and bromine residues

Chlorine helps keep pool water hygienic, but it can also contribute to dry skin and rough hair. Counter Chlorine helps reduce chlorine and bromine residues when you wash after swimming. 1, 5, 6, 9

Capture MineralsHelps wash away copper deposits

Copper deposits can contribute to an unwanted green tint, particularly noticeable in lighter hair. Capture Minerals helps carry copper residue from the hair into the rinse so it can be washed away. 1, 7

Cleanse ResidueHelps lift oil, dirt and surface films

Body oils and hair products can leave a film after swimming in a pool or open water. Cleanse Residue helps lift these films and everyday dirt so they can rinse away. 1, 8

Comfort SkinMoisturising care while cleansing

Comfort Skin combines moisturising ingredients with MBc Comfort Complex™ to help leave dry-feeling skin soft and supple after rinsing.

Condition HairSofter, more manageable hair

When hair feels dry, brittle or rough after swimming, it can be harder to comb. Condition Hair provides built-in conditioning as you wash, helping soften and smooth the strands so they are easier to manage after rinsing. 9

SLS/SLES-free cleansing
Built-in hair conditioning
Dermatologically tested

The finished-product evidence

The results for each finished wash

The results below show how each finished wash performed in laboratory testing. 1
The three washes share the five SwimShield actions, with different levels of built-in conditioning. Choose a wash to see its results.

Shop SwimProtect 2-in-1+

Little Étoile

SwimProtect 2-in-1+

After-swim shampoo & body wash · Children 2+ years

For children aged two years and over, SwimProtect 2-in-1+ cleanses skin and hair after swimming while providing moisturising care. Its lighter built-in conditioning helps leave hair softer and easier to manage.

Laboratory results 1
Laboratory measure	Result
Chlorine reduction in test solution	81.22%
Bromine reduction in test solution	81.80%
Copper carried into the rinse, compared with water aloneIn this test, more copper in the rinse means more was carried away during washing. 1	2.0×
Oil and residue removal from hair	81.8%

In the same laboratory assessment, SwimProtect removed 81.8% of the oily test material from hair, compared with 45.8% for water alone. The wash lifted away more of this residue than rinsing with water alone. 1

Additional assessments for SwimProtect 2-in-1+

SwimProtect 2-in-1+ was classified as non-irritant in a laboratory eye-irritation assessment. 3 A separate hair assessment recorded a smooth, silky feel after washing. 1

Shop Swim-Fresh

Salvarity

Swim-Fresh

After-swim shampoo & body wash · Teens and tweens

For teens and tweens, Swim-Fresh combines specialist after-swim cleansing with moisturising skin care. It also provides more built-in hair conditioning than SwimProtect, helping leave hair softer and easier to manage after washing.

Laboratory results 1
Laboratory measure	Result
Chlorine reduction in test solution	83.33%
Bromine reduction in test solution	91.99%
Copper carried into the rinse, compared with water aloneIn this test, more copper in the rinse means more was carried away during washing. 1	3.67×
Oil and residue removal from hair	90.0%

Shop Swim Soothe

Garden of Wellness

Swim Soothe

After-swim shampoo & body wash · Adults

For adults, Swim Soothe brings specialist cleansing and moisturising care together with more built-in hair conditioning than SwimProtect, helping soften hair that feels rough after swimming.

Laboratory results 1
Laboratory measure	Result
Chlorine reduction in test solution	85.78%
Bromine reduction in test solution	86.98%
Copper carried into the rinse, compared with water aloneIn this test, more copper in the rinse means more was carried away during washing. 1	2.0×
Oil and residue removal from hair	94.25%

Results recorded in Max Biocare’s finished-product laboratory test reports. 1

Testing sources→

Understanding the measurements

Chlorine and bromine reduction

Chlorine and bromine were tested separately in laboratory solutions. Each percentage shows how much the level of that disinfectant fell after one minute. 1

Copper carried into the rinse

Hair samples were exposed to copper, treated with the wash and rinsed for one minute. A result of 2.0× means twice as much copper was recovered in that rinse as with water alone under the test conditions. 1

Oil and residue removed from hair

Hair samples coated with oily test material were washed for one minute, then rinsed, dried and weighed. Each percentage shows how much of that material was removed. SwimProtect’s displayed water-only comparison comes from the same assessment as its wash result. 1

These are laboratory results under the test conditions described above. For everyday washing, follow the directions on your chosen product. 1

Dermatologically tested

What the skin assessments showed

In dermatological patch testing, all three washes recorded an irritation score of 0 out of 4, with no irritation observed under the assessment conditions. The assessment included 54 adults, nearly half of whom reported sensitive skin. 2

Irritation score

All three finished washes.
No irritation observed under the assessment conditions.2

Behind Comfort Skin and Condition Hair

MBc Comfort Complex™ in every wash

All three washes contain MBc Comfort Complex™, our blend of SALVOTECT™ Baby Sage, STACREGENIX™ Lamb’s Ear and MBc Biofloral Honey™. The complex combines botanical support for skin renewal, the moisture barrier and comfort with honey’s natural sugars, which attract and hold moisture. 10 In each wash, it works alongside other moisturising and conditioning ingredients to help leave skin supple and hair softer and easier to manage.

We cultivate the botanicals and tend the bees at our Gippsland Research Parks, with ingredient development in our Port Melbourne laboratories.

Discover the ingredients and research behind MBc Comfort Complex™→

Refer to your product label for the current ingredient list and directions.

The gardens and bee colonies behind Max Biocare’s ingredient programme in Gippsland, Victoria.

Your next swim

Choose your after-swim wash

Explore SwimVive 360™ to find the wash that suits your skin and hair. If your skin still feels dry or your hair needs more conditioning after washing, our Before, Wash and After guide helps you decide whether to add moisturiser, conditioner or hair oil.

Choose your wash Shop the SwimVive 360 range→

Before swimming ↘ Care after washing ↘ Choose care for your concern ↘

Before, Wash and After

Skin and Hair Care Before and After Swimming

Read the Before, Wash and After guide

Research and sourcesTesting records and selected published research

Max Biocare. Swim Wash Test Results for SwimProtect 2-in-1+, Swim-Fresh and Swim Soothe. Three signed reports, 15 October 2026. In-house laboratory testing records.
Ozderm. One Day Irritation Test: Skin Care Products. Protocol MAXBIOCARE08, final report, 23 September 2026. The three washes were assessed at 10% dilution in water in 54 adults; 25 reported sensitive skin.
ALS Group USA. OptiSafe Eye Irritation Test, SwimProtect LEBC027, batch K#7. Accession 1285980, assay 13014, 5 August 2026. Laboratory assessment of the tested SwimProtect sample.
Gardinier et al. Variations of skin biophysical properties after recreational swimming. Skin Research and Technology, 2009;15:427–432. Original research
Seki et al. Free residual chlorine in bathing water reduces the water-holding capacity of the stratum corneum in atopic skin. Journal of Dermatology, 2003. Original research
NSW Health. Guidelines for Managing Water Quality in Public Swimming Pools and Spa Pools, August 2026. Chlorine, electrolytic generation from salt and bromine disinfection. Official guidance
Biel et al. Green hair caused by frequent swimming pool use. Hautarzt, 1997;48:568–571. German article with English abstract. Original research
Chen et al. The optimal cleansing method for the removal of sunscreen: water, cleanser or cleansing oil? Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020. Original research
American Academy of Dermatology. Guidance on dry skin, swimming, conditioning and gentle hair handling. Dry skin guidance · Advice for swimmers · Healthy hair guidance · Summer hair guidance
Ingredient research. Jo & Choi (2024), Asian Journal of Beauty and Cosmetology 22:619–630 (Baby Sage, skin-cell renewal and barrier responses); Lima et al. (2024), ACS Omega 9:49899–49912 (Lamb’s Ear laboratory research); Suwiński & Nowak (2024), Pharmaceuticals 17:1709 (honey-containing creams and skin hydration). Baby Sage study · Lamb’s Ear study · Honey study

SwimShield 5C