Cheap sun screens 'just as good'

Sun protection need not burn a hole in your pocket

Research by the Consumers' Association suggests that cheaper own brand sun screens are just as effective as expensive designer brands.

The organisation is also calling for standardised testing of sun creams, and labelling that is easier to understand.

Consumers could save as much as 50% on the price of much more expensive brands for a product which is just as effective, say testers

However, they found that one budget sun screen aimed at children might offers less than half the protection it claimed.

Which? magazine heard reports from trading standards officers about sun screens which had not lived up to their packaging claims.

And it found one brand - Sea and Ski Kids Colour Sunblock - which although marked as offering a sun protection factor of 30, was in fact nearer to a 12.

Practising safe sun needn't burn a hole in your pocket

Helen Parker,
Which?

The shop that stocked it, Poundland, has now removed the range from its stores.

However, own-brand sun screens from stores such as Asda, Safeway, Sainsbury and the Co-op, lived up to the sun protection rating they were given.

The UVA and UVB radiation in sunlight can damage skin cells - perhaps even triggering the genetic damage which can develop into skin cancer.

Even if skin cancer is not the end result, the sun exposure can cause premature skin ageing.

Standardised testing

Sun screens work in two ways - they have physical barriers like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which reflect the sun's rays.

Other chemicals act by absorbing their energy, reducing the amount reaching the skin.

Helen Parker, the editor of Which?, said: "Practising safe sun needn't burn a hole in your pocket.

"By buying discounted branded sun screens and reputable own labels the cost of holiday sun protection can be halved.

"We'd like to see standardised testing of sun screens made compulsory and guidelines produced that should ensure much clearer labelling."

A spokesman for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund said: "Generally, the sun protection factor is a good guide to how effective a sunscreen will be in protecting you from the sun's dangerous rays.

"The higher the sun protection factor, the better the protection. It is true however, that some discrepancies can occur when sun screens are tested in the laboratories, largely due to technical differences in procedure.

"This research underlines the importance of avoiding relying on sun screens as your only method of protection.

"It's vitally important that people also avoid the midday sun where possible and cover up with loose cotton clothes, a hat and shades."