SPF protection, good value, children’s products and more

As temperatures rise, Katy Ward reveals which sunscreens to avoid and which brands offer the best value for money.

With summer (theoretically) here, many of us will be heading abroad for a two-week holiday or venturing out into the garden for a barbecue after the European Championships.

It goes without saying that as temperatures rise, it is important to apply sunscreen.

However, it would be a mistake to assume that all sunscreens are the same.

With this in mind, consumer organisation Which? has subjected some of the most popular brands to rigorous safety tests to determine which offer the best (and least) protection.

According to the researchers, all tests are carried out according to recognized global and British standards for skin protection.

In the interest of fairness, Which? has tested and then retested all of the products below.

The best fee-free travel credit cards for use abroad

Three sunscreens you should avoid

Worryingly, some popular brands have failed safety tests to evaluate sun protection factor (SPF) and UVA protection.

Here are the three brands highlighted by Which?:

Asda Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 High (£2.80/200ml)

Although this product passed the Which? safety test in 2022, recent research found that it does not provide the claimed SPF30 protection.

For this reason, the consumer protection organization has marked the product with the warning “Do not buy”.

Responding to the results, an Asda spokesperson said: “We recently had this sun lotion retested by a leading third party provider using internationally recognised testing methods.

“The results confirmed an SPF of 31.5; therefore we do not accept the test results published by Which?.”

“The wording has not changed since 2022, so we question the validity of the Which? test.”

Bondi Sands SPF50+ Sunscreen Face Lotion (£7.99/75ml)

According to Which?’s research, this product failed the SPF test twice.

Not only did the sunscreen not come close to the stated sun protection factor, but it also did not provide the required UVA protection.

When researchers contacted Bondi Sands, the company declined to comment.

Calypso Press & Protect Sun Lotion SPF 30 (£8/200ml)

When publishing the results, Which? called this pump product “another product to avoid” because it “barely” achieved two-thirds of the stated SPF.

When asked for comment, Calypso Sun replied: “All products are carefully and independently tested and comply with EU standards and regulations.”

How to save money on vacation

The cheapest brands

Fortunately, not everything is hopeless this summer.

Which? not only tests sunscreens for safety, but also identifies the products with the best value for money.

Unsurprisingly, the discount chains performed best.

At Lidl, the brand’s Cien Sun Spray SPF30 and Cien Kids Sun Spray SPF50+ were named winning products.

Aldi rated Lacura SPF30 as safe and with the best price-performance ratio.

The safest products

Here is a full list of sunscreens that have passed Which?’s safety tests.

Test for sunscreen with sun protection factor 30 passes

• Aldi Lacura SPF30 Sun Lotion, £2.49/200ml
• Lidl Cien Sun Spray SPF 30, 3.29 €
• Piz Buin in Sun Hydrating Sun Lotion SPF30, £6.50/200ml

Test of children’s sun cream with sun protection factor 50+ passes

• Aldi Lacura SPF50+ Kids Mini Lotion, £1.35/50ml
• Garnier Ambre Solaire Kids waterproof sunscreen spray SPF 50+, 8 €/150 ml
• Lidl Cien Kids Sensitive Sunscreen Spray SPF 50+ 3.29 €/200 ml
• Nivea Sun Kids Protect & Care Color Spray SPF 50+, €7.00/200 ml
• Ultrasun Kids SPF50+, 32,00 €/150 ml

Test of sunscreen for the face with sun protection factor 50/+ passes

• Boots Soltan Brightening Protect & Moisturise Facial Sunscreen with Vitamin C SPF50, £6.50/50ml
• Garnier Ambre Solaire Super UV Daily Invisible Face Serum with SPF 50+, €9.49/30 ml
• Nivea Sun UV Face Cream Anti-Age Q10 SPF 50, 10,00 €/50 ml
• Ultrasun Face SPF50+, £26.00/50ml

5 sneaky holiday rip-offs when booking online

How did Which? test the sunscreens?

The consumer protection association uses various methods to put the products through their paces.

This involves applying products to the backs of volunteers and then exposing them to a UVB lamp to test the SPF value.

To test the UVA value, a pane of glass is coated with the respective sunscreen and the absorption level of the product is recorded using a spectrophotometer.

Shockingly, every year the consumer protection agency reports that some brands do not meet the advertised safety standards.

In addition, Which? also tests how easy the individual products are to apply and how pleasant their smell is.