In the formulation of shape optimization problems, multiple geometric constraint functionals involve the signed distance function to the optimized shape Ω. The numerical evaluation of their shape derivatives requires to integrate some quantities along the normal rays to Ω, a task that is usually achieved thanks to the method of characteristics. The goal of the present paper is to propose an alternative, variational approach for this purpose. Our method amounts, in full generality, to compute integral quantities along the characteristic curves of a given velocity field without requiring the explicit knowledge of these curves on the spatial discretization; it rather relies on a variational problem which can be solved conveniently by the finite element method. The well-posedness of this problem is established thanks to a detailed analysis of weighted graph spaces of the advection operator β · associated to a C 1 velocity fields β. One novelty of our approach is the ability to handle velocity fields with possibly unbounded divergence: we do not assume div(β) ∈ L ∞. Our working assumptions are fulfilled in the context of shape optimization of C 2 domains Ω, where the velocity field β = d Ω is an extension of the unit outward normal vector to the optimized shape. The efficiency of our variational method with respect to the direct integration of numerical quantities along rays is evaluated on several numerical examples. Classical albeit important implementation issues such as the calculation of a shape's curvature and the detection of its skeleton are discussed. Finally, we demonstrate the convenience and potential of our method when it comes to enforcing maximum and minimum thickness constraints in structural shape optimization.