The Very Best Waterproofers for Shoes and Boots (2024)

$17

Waterproofing ingredient: Flurocarbon polymer | Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose

Spanish leather-care company Tarrago’s nano protector spray is a cult classic for shoes of all types from suede bucks to sneakers. “Leather is porous. It’s essentially a skin, and like our skin, it has pores, so it breathes and takes in water through its pores,” says Andrade. Tarrago’s fluorocarbon polymer material “puts on a coating, sealing the pores so water won’t seep in,” he says. One thing to note: The Tarrago spray is not recommended for nylon, lycra, and silk, so check the material before applying to a shoe with a fabric upper.

$17

Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose; recommended for leather

Former Cut senior market editor Diana Tsui discovered Apple’s water repellent while searching for the right product to protect an “insanely expensive” Celine handbag from scratches and water damage. After trawling PurseForum and polling friends, “the overwhelming response was to choose Apple,” she says. “You’ll still need to use an umbrella but on drizzly days … the water rolls off easily, without staining. I once even spilled half an iced coffee down the front, without leaving a mark. Two years and many wears later, my beloved Céline bag looks almost as good as the day I bought it.” (She paired it with the brand’s leather care kit: “Since leather is a skin, you want it to be as plump and hydrated as your face” when you apply the spray, she says.)

Shoemaker Lauren Brinkers is also a fan of the product for all kinds of leather, although she recommends reapplying every couple months: “If you are wearing your shoes often, you could spray them every few weeks if you needed to.”

$13

$32

Waterproofing ingredient: Fluoridated resin | Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose, suitable for high-end materials

French brand Saphir is “the crème de la crème of shoe care,” according to shoemaker Lauren Brinkers. Its leather-repair cream has a devoted following, as does its waterproofing spray, which is reliable and versatile. It can be used on high-end leather and suede shoes but also bags and clothing including more delicate textiles like cotton and silk. Stone says that whenever she gets a new pair of shoes, she immediately sprays them with Saphir Invulner. “It doesn’t change the color or texture of the materials and gives me the right amount of water and stain protection that I need,” she says.

$9

Waterproofing ingredient: Silicone | Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose

Personal stylist Vanessa Valiente recommends Kiwi’s silicone-based spray for leather shoes. Andrade agrees that, while silicone-based products can be too harsh on fine or light-colored leathers, they’re good for dark-colored and black leather shoes. He suggests paying special attention to the “edge of the seam where the sole meets the upper,” a common spot for water to leak in.

$23

Waterproofing ingredient: Fluor-silicone resin | Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose; designed for sneakers

Reshoevn8r’s repellent is a favorite among sneaker-cleaning experts, including Raheem Rademaker, the founder ofsneaker-cleaning company Weekend Ritual, and Waleed Cope and Cheryl Lee Bowers of Brooklyn laundry- and sneaker-cleaning store the Soap Box. Cope and Bowers use the Reshoevn8r spray on most of the sneakers that come into the store. They especially like it for suede: Some products leave suede feeling hard to the touch, they say, but this repellent leaves the material pristine.

$14

Medium: Spray | Intended use: Multipurpose; designed for sneakers

Although the Jason Markk Repel spray is designed for sneakers (Rademaker, normally a Reshoevn8r partisan, says the Jason Markk spray is also a solid option), Strategist contributor Priya Rao uses it on everything, from suede heels to leather skirts. “The waterlike mixture gently coats and protects just about anything: suede, leather, nylon, canvas,” she says. She mists a coat of the spray over an item, “being careful not to ‘oversaturate’ them (if it starts to look wet, I simply dab with a paper towel),” and lets them dry for 24 hours before applying a second and final coat.

$14

Waterproofing ingredient: Synthetic | Medium: Spray | Intended use: Suede and nubuck

Both Valiente and Isobel Schofield, founder of Bryr Clogs, mentioned the Scotchgard Suede & Nubuck Protector as a great budget pick. Schofield says it protects well against both water- and oil-based stains.

$25

Waterproofing ingredient: Beeswax | Medium: Wax | Intended use: Heavy-duty materials

Skidmore’s is a classic brand that also makes a much-beloved, all-purpose leather cream, which Brinkers uses on boots, clothing, and leather furniture. She recommends this heavier-duty beeswax protector, which she says can “weatherproof the hell out of those Blundstones.”

$10

Waterproofing ingredient: Beeswax | Medium: Wax | Indended use: Heavy-duty materials, designed for snow

Atsko’s beeswax is a classic, inexpensive treatment for shoes that will deal with ice and slush, recommended by Andrade and Paul Ronto, an outdoorsman and content director at shoe-review site RunRepeat. After applying, it dries as a solid wax that seals out moisture. “Boots without a waterproof lining will never be 100 percent waterproof, but leather treated right can get pretty close,” Ronto says.

$8

Waterproofing ingredient: Mink oil | Medium: Cream | Intended use: Heavy-duty leather

Like beeswax, mink oil is a heavy-duty protectant best used on shoes the finish of which you don’t mind altering — oil will slightly darken leather, similar to an oil stain on a textile. Andrade says applying mink oil will “act like a layer of wax on a brand-new car. If you do that once every two months, it’ll keep your feet super-dry.”