Would it be related to the advice some give to use Bodyglide to help get the wetsuit on and off? The idea presumably being that when you come out of the water and take the suit off, you'd have some sunscreen on your arms and legs? That's the only connection I can think of. Please note this is not a recommendation from me, just a WAG.
"My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved;I have been given much and I have given something in return...Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and an adventure." O. Sacks