Major supermarket's sun cream spray fails safety tests as best sunscreens ranked
Which? tested 15 different sun creams to rate the best sunscreen to protect your skin this summer. Two products, one from Morrisons and the other from Ultrasun, failed their test
A Morrisons sun spray has failed key safety tests, Which? has said, as it ranked the best-buy products for this summer.
In their recent investigation, the consumer organisation tested 15 different sun creams, including big brands, own-label products and supermarket options. The sunscreen tested ranged from SPF30 to SPF50+ - and two of the items didn't pass the test. After testing it twice, Which? said Morrisons SPF30 sun spray - which costs £3.75 for 200ml - didn't meet the claimed SPF level - which is what protects your skin from UVB rays. The publication said it informed Morrisons of the test results, and the supermarket giant said it is looking at the data and working with its supplier to carry out further independent testing.
According to the test carried out by Which? Ultrasun Family SPF30 lotion - priced at £28 for 150ml - also failed to match the minimum required UVA level for an SPF30 product in either the initial or repeat test. The organisation said that while the sunscreen passed its SPF (sun protection factor) test, it failed on the UVA front, meaning they would not recommend buying it.
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 surpass industry standards. It stated that its chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available.
Which? said that as part of its test, which uses industry-recognised methods, if a product failed on a first test, it was repeated. If it passed the second time, a third test was be done. But if a product failed the SPF or UVA twice overall, it became a "don't buy" as part of its recommendations.
Among the sunscreen that passed was budget supermarket Aldi 's Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, which costs just £2.99 for 200ml. Which? said they found this product protected the skin from both UVA and UVB rays, as claimed. The product - priced at £1.50 per 100ml - also earned a Which? Great Value badge.
Similarly, Lidl's Cien Sun Spray 30 SPF High, costing £3.79 for 200ml, was given the same rating. Other SPF30 products that passed the test included Boots Soltan Protect & Moistorise, both as lotion and as spray - which are both priced at £5.50 per 200ml.
Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30, Sainsbury's SPF30 Moisturising Lotion and Superdrug Solait Sun Spray SPF30 also passed the test. Among the SPF50 sunscreen approved by Which? are Aldi SPF50+ Sensitive Lotion, which costs £2.99 per 200ml, and was also given a Great Value badge.
Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+, Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Sun Spray SPF50+, Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray SPF50+ and Sainsbury's SPF50+ Moisturising Spray Lotion were all successful too. Which? also tested two sunscreen for children - Boots Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+ and Childs Farm SPF50+ Sun Cream Fragrance-Free - and they both passed the test.
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South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
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Morrisons & Ultrasun sun cream warning as safety test failed
Ultrasun Family SPF30, which costs £28 for 150ml and is marketed as being 'perfect for the whole family' and 'especially suitable for children and those with sensitive skin', failed to meet minimum sun cream UVA protection levels in two separate tests by Which?. Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 also failed to meet minimum SPF protection levels in two tests. (Image: Which? PA Wire) Ultrasun passed the UVB SPF part of the test but failed on UVA testing, scoring 9.1 and then 9.5 in a retest. Which? required a score of 10 or more for a pass. Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray product passed UVA tests but failed the UVB/SPF tests with scores of 25.7 and then 20.7 – short of the 30 or more needed to pass. Which? tested 15 popular sun creams this year, including Boots, Garnier and Nivea as well as supermarket own-brand products. Cien Sun Spray 30 SPF High (£3.79/200ml), from fellow discounter Lidl, also passed all SPF and UVA testing, with Which? describing it as a 'solid option for affordable and reliable sun protection'. Some 11 other products, including Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Suncare Spray SPF30 (£5.50 for 200ml), Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30 (£7.90 for 200ml) and Sainsbury's Sun Protect Moisturising Lotion SPF30 (£5.50 for 200ml) passed SPF and UVA safety tests. 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. 'While shoppers should avoid buying our 'don't buys', our results prove that 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 spokeswoman for Ultrasun said: 'Ultrasun is fully confident in our testing protocols. As an independent brand delivering very high UVB and UVA protection options for over 30 years, our detailed testing processes, independent and peer reviewed, continue to not only meet but surpass industry standards. 'Our chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available. Further detail and clarification from Which? on their testing protocols would also be helpful, particularly on how these resulted in two different results from the same sample.' Morrisons told Which? that it was looking closely at the data and working with its supplier to carry out additional independent testing. Recommended reading: UVA and UVB rays both cause different types of damage, and not all sun creams protect against them in the same way. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB to cause long-term damage, including all types of skin cancer, and play a role in the ageing process, such as causing wrinkles, sun spots and leathery skin. UVB rays are mostly responsible for sunburn and skin reddening. They do not penetrate as deeply as UVA rays but they are just as damaging, and can play a large part in the development of skin cancers including melanoma. SPF stands for 'sun protection factor', and indicates the level of protection a sun cream provides against burning rays. SPFs range from 2 to 50+, with 50+ offering the most protection against UVB.
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Major supermarket's sun cream spray fails safety tests as best sunscreens ranked
Which? tested 15 different sun creams to rate the best sunscreen to protect your skin this summer. Two products, one from Morrisons and the other from Ultrasun, failed their test A Morrisons sun spray has failed key safety tests, Which? has said, as it ranked the best-buy products for this summer. In their recent investigation, the consumer organisation tested 15 different sun creams, including big brands, own-label products and supermarket options. The sunscreen tested ranged from SPF30 to SPF50+ - and two of the items didn't pass the test. After testing it twice, Which? said Morrisons SPF30 sun spray - which costs £3.75 for 200ml - didn't meet the claimed SPF level - which is what protects your skin from UVB rays. The publication said it informed Morrisons of the test results, and the supermarket giant said it is looking at the data and working with its supplier to carry out further independent testing. According to the test carried out by Which? Ultrasun Family SPF30 lotion - priced at £28 for 150ml - also failed to match the minimum required UVA level for an SPF30 product in either the initial or repeat test. The organisation said that while the sunscreen passed its SPF (sun protection factor) test, it failed on the UVA front, meaning they would not recommend buying it. 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 surpass industry standards. It stated that its chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available. Which? said that as part of its test, which uses industry-recognised methods, if a product failed on a first test, it was repeated. If it passed the second time, a third test was be done. But if a product failed the SPF or UVA twice overall, it became a "don't buy" as part of its recommendations. Among the sunscreen that passed was budget supermarket Aldi 's Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, which costs just £2.99 for 200ml. Which? said they found this product protected the skin from both UVA and UVB rays, as claimed. The product - priced at £1.50 per 100ml - also earned a Which? Great Value badge. Similarly, Lidl's Cien Sun Spray 30 SPF High, costing £3.79 for 200ml, was given the same rating. Other SPF30 products that passed the test included Boots Soltan Protect & Moistorise, both as lotion and as spray - which are both priced at £5.50 per 200ml. Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30, Sainsbury's SPF30 Moisturising Lotion and Superdrug Solait Sun Spray SPF30 also passed the test. Among the SPF50 sunscreen approved by Which? are Aldi SPF50+ Sensitive Lotion, which costs £2.99 per 200ml, and was also given a Great Value badge. Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+, Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Sun Spray SPF50+, Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray SPF50+ and Sainsbury's SPF50+ Moisturising Spray Lotion were all successful too. Which? also tested two sunscreen for children - Boots Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+ and Childs Farm SPF50+ Sun Cream Fragrance-Free - and they both passed the test.
Glasgow Times
19 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Morrisons & Ultrasun sun cream warning as safety test failed
Ultrasun Family SPF30, which costs £28 for 150ml and is marketed as being 'perfect for the whole family' and 'especially suitable for children and those with sensitive skin', failed to meet minimum sun cream UVA protection levels in two separate tests by Which?. Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 also failed to meet minimum SPF protection levels in two tests. (Image: Which? PA Wire) Ultrasun passed the UVB SPF part of the test but failed on UVA testing, scoring 9.1 and then 9.5 in a retest. Which? required a score of 10 or more for a pass. Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray product passed UVA tests but failed the UVB/SPF tests with scores of 25.7 and then 20.7 – short of the 30 or more needed to pass. Which? tested 15 popular sun creams this year, including Boots, Garnier and Nivea as well as supermarket own-brand products. Aldi's Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, which costs £2.99 for 200ml, was found to protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Cien Sun Spray 30 SPF High (£3.79/200ml), from fellow discounter Lidl, also passed all SPF and UVA testing, with Which? describing it as a 'solid option for affordable and reliable sun protection'. Some 11 other products, including Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Suncare Spray SPF30 (£5.50 for 200ml), Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30 (£7.90 for 200ml) and Sainsbury's Sun Protect Moisturising Lotion SPF30 (£5.50 for 200ml) passed SPF and UVA safety tests. 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. 'While shoppers should avoid buying our 'don't buys', our results prove that 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 spokeswoman for Ultrasun said: 'Ultrasun is fully confident in our testing protocols. As an independent brand delivering very high UVB and UVA protection options for over 30 years, our detailed testing processes, independent and peer reviewed, continue to not only meet but surpass industry standards. 'Our chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available. Further detail and clarification from Which? on their testing protocols would also be helpful, particularly on how these resulted in two different results from the same sample.' Morrisons told Which? that it was looking closely at the data and working with its supplier to carry out additional independent testing. Recommended reading: What are UVA and UVB rays, and what does SPF mean? UVA and UVB rays both cause different types of damage, and not all sun creams protect against them in the same way. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB to cause long-term damage, including all types of skin cancer, and play a role in the ageing process, such as causing wrinkles, sun spots and leathery skin. UVB rays are mostly responsible for sunburn and skin reddening. They do not penetrate as deeply as UVA rays but they are just as damaging, and can play a large part in the development of skin cancers including melanoma. SPF stands for 'sun protection factor', and indicates the level of protection a sun cream provides against burning rays. SPFs range from 2 to 50+, with 50+ offering the most protection against UVB.
