Popular sun cream fails safety tests as families warned 'don't buy'
A sun cream on the market for £28 and aimed at families has been deemed unsafe. Consumer group Which? Is urging people to avoid the Ultrasun Family SPF30 due to the fact it failed safety tests.
Which? revealed the product failed to meet minimum UVA (ultraviolet A) protection levels. The Ultrasun lotion, which comes in a 150ml bottle, had a UVA score of 9.1 which was then 9.5 in a retest.
Ultrasun markets the cream as 'perfect for the whole family' and 'especially suitable for children and those with sensitive skin'. Products need to get a 10 or more in the safety tests to pass.
The product did pass the UVB protection test. SPF, which stands for sun protection factor, is a measurement of how well a sunscreen product protects skin against UVB rays—the type of UV rays that can cause sunburns.
Another brand that failed the safety tests and was labelled a 'don't buy' by Which? was Morrisons' Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30m which costs £3.75 for a 200ml bottle. The sun block passed for UVA protection but failed for SPF against UVB.
Which? Was carrying out an annual study into sun creams available to buy and conducted lab tests on 15 popular brands using what it says were industry-recognised methods, as reports the Mirror.
They state that if a product fails first time round, the test is repeated. If it passes a second time, a third test is then carried out. Goods that fail the SPF or UVA test twice become a 'don't buy' product.
Those that passed include budget giant Aldi's Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, which costs just £2.99 for 200ml. The researchers revealed that it protected skin from both UVA and UVB rays, as claimed.
Aldi's offering also earned the supermarket chain a Which? Great Value badge.
Lidl also had a one of its own brand sun sprays achieve success, garnering the same rating as Aldi with their Cien Sun Spray 30 SPF High, £3.79 for 200ml.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: 'It's really concerning that widely available sunscreens could be putting families at risk by failing to offer the level of sun protection claimed on the packaging.
There's no need to splash out to keep you and your loved ones safe in the sun as we've found cheap reliable options at Aldi and Lidl.'
A spokesperson from Ultrasun told Which? it was fully confident in its testing protocols and that its detailed testing processes continued to not only meet, but fully surpass industry standards. They also stated their testing protocol is one of the "strictest" available. Morrisons told Which? that it will be looking closely at the results of the testing programme and is working with its supplier to independently verify the findings with additional independent testing.
Full list
'Don't Buys'
Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30, £3.75/200ml
Ultrasun Family SPF30, £28/150ml
Passes
SPF30 sunscreens
Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Suncare Lotion, £5.50/200ml
Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Suncare Spray SPF30, £5.50/200ml
Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30, £7.90/200ml
Lidl Cien Sun Protect Spray SPF30 High, £3.79/200ml
Sainsbury's Sun Protect Moisturising Lotion SPF30, £5.50/200ml
Superdrug Solait Sun Spray SPF30, £5.50/200ml
PF50/50+ sunscreens
Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Sun Spray SPF 50+, £11/150ml
Sainsbury's Sun ProtectMoisturising Spray Lotion SPF50+, £5.75/200ml
Aldi Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, £2.99/200ml
Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Suncare Lotion SPF50+, £5.50/200ml
Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray SPF50+, £7.90/200ml
SPF50/50+ kids sunscreens
Childs Farm Sun Cream Fragrance-Free SPF50+, £12/200ml
Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+, £5.50/200ml
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