Latest news with #Which
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The best sunscreen of 2025 – and the two to avoid
With hot weather sweeping the UK and an amber heatwave warning in place, sunscreen is something we should all be wearing on the parts of our bodies exposed to the sun. But how can you be sure your go-to bottle is doing what it promises? To help shoppers find suncreams they can trust, consumer group Which? tested a range of high street and premium options using official British and international standards. SPF (which protects against UVB rays that cause sunburn) was checked by applying sunscreen to volunteers' skin and exposing it to controlled UVB light. UVA protection (which guards against long-term skin damage and ageing) was tested in the lab by measuring how much of the sun's rays were absorbed through the cream. This year, 13 products passed with flying colours – but two missed the mark in at least one test. This supermarket-own product passed the UVA part of the testing but fell short on SPF protection. According to Which?, lab results showed an SPF of 25.7 and then 20.7 on retest – lower than the SPF30 claim and below the threshold needed to pass. The supermarket told Which? it's "looking closely at the results" and is carrying out further independent testing with its supplier. Ultrasun met the SPF requirement in testing, but failed to hit the minimum UVA protection. Which? recorded a UVA protection factor of 9.1 and 9.5 across two tests, just below the required level of 10. Ultrasun told Which? it is "fully confident in its testing protocols and that its detailed testing processes continue to not only meet, but surpass industry standards." It also said its chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available. Tested and approved – here are the sunscreens Which? says deliver on sun protection: Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion, £5.50 Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Spray, £5.50 Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion, £7.90 Lidl Cien Sun Protect Spray SPF30, £3.79 Sainsbury's Sun Protect Moisturising Lotion, £5.50 Superdrug Solait Sun Spray, £5.50 Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Spray SPF50+, £11 Sainsbury's Sun Protect Moisturising Spray Lotion SPF50+, £5.75 Aldi Lacura Sensitive Sun Lotion SPF50+, £2.99 Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+, £5.50 Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray SPF50+, £7.90 Childs Farm Fragrance-Free Sun Cream SPF50+, £12 Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF50+, £5.50 When it comes to SPF, Which? and NHS guidance suggest looking for: A minimum SPF of 30 for UVB protection A UVA protection seal (a circle with 'UVA' inside) or Boots' four- or five-star UVA rating Water resistance if you're swimming or sweating Reapplication every two hours (more if swimming or towelling off) It's worth checking the expiry date too — suncream can lose its effectiveness over time. Kids' skin is around 30% thinner than adults', which means UV rays can cause damage more quickly. Their skin also produces less melanin – the pigment that helps protect against sunburn – so they need extra protection. Look for suncream with SPF 30 or higher, ideally labelled for children or sensitive skin. Water-resistant options are a good bet too, especially if they're splashing about. Wide-brimmed hats, rash vests and UV-protective sunglasses can all help keep them covered. And if you're unsure of a brand to go for before your next top up, Which? has lots of sunscreen information on its website. Suncream helps, but it's just one part of the picture. Here's what the NHS and British Skin Foundation recommend for staying protected during exposure to the sun: Stick to the shade (11am–3pm): UV is strongest midday, so take breaks under trees, parasols or cover –just remember rays can still reflect off water or sand. Cover up well: Wear loose, tightly woven clothes, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with a CE mark, UV‑400 or 100% UV protection. Pick sun-safe fabrics: Look for clothing labelled UPF 30+ – UPF 50+ gives the best protection. Apply early, reapply often: Use sunscreen 30 minutes before heading out, then reapply every 2 hours – or sooner if you're swimming or towelling off. Use enough: Aim for 6–8 teaspoons to cover your whole body – most of us don't use enough. Check the label: Go for SPF 30+ and either 4–5 stars or a UVA-in-a-circle symbol to ensure broad protection. Don't ditch it on cloudy days: UV still gets through clouds and bounces off sand, water and snow – protection's still essential. Read more about suncream: The 4 most important things to check on your sunscreen, according to a dermatologist (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read) Why you need sunscreen all year round, even indoors (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read) The 8 best sunscreens for kids and adults – and the correct SPF to use for your age (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read)
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sunscreens RANKED - from best buys to those to avoid at all costs... as consumer watchdog reveals one 'ineffective' £28 cream could pose safety risk
A £28 sunscreen, marketed as 'perfect for the whole family', has failed a safety test carried out by Which?—despite claiming to be 'especially suitable' for children. The revelation may have left consumers asking which sun creams they can actually trust. Consumer watchdog Which? tested 15 popular SPF50 and SPF30 products from high-street names and supermarkets, using strict international safety standards. Each was assessed for ultraviolet (UV) protection and SPF protection, and rated for ease of use by a panel of volunteers. Two were labelled 'Don't Buys' after failing key tests, while seven earned a 'Best Buy' status, scoring highest overall. Another two were also labelled 'great value' options, for offering people a cost-effective option to protect against the sun's UV rays. To trial the creams, scientists applied a small amount on volunteers' backs, before shining a lamp on the patch to simulate the sun's rays. The time it takes for the skin to become red was then measured. In another test, scientists took a sample of the cream and spread it onto a glass plate to measure the absorption of UV radiation directly. To pass, the sunscreen needed to provide at least one third of the claimed SPF. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 will take 30 times longer to damage your skin compared to no protection at all. Here we reveal the full list of 2025 test results, ranked from most to least effective. Lidl Cien Sun Protect Spray SPF30 The bargain product was given the 'great value' seal of approval by the watchdog, after the panel found it passed both key tests, was easy to apply and 'smelled great'. They did, however, note it felt 'a bit greasy on skin' after application. £3.49 Shop Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF30 Which? said the product offered 'excellent UVA and UVB protection'. UVA and UVB protection are both crucial in sunscreen because they address different types of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, which can raise the risk of skin damage and cancer. UVB rays are primarily responsible for sunburn, while UVA rays penetrate deeper, causing premature aging and wrinkles. £5.50 Shop Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF30 The product passed both SPF and UVA tests. It's only downside, Which? said, was the cost. £8.65 Shop Sainsbury's SPF30 Moisturising Lotion The consumer watchdog had no major concerns with the product it said and provides exactly the level of sun protection that it claims. £5.75 Shop Superdrug Solait Sun Spray SPF30 Which? said the product 'delivers on SPF and UVA claims' and 'no major issues' at all. £5.50 Shop The factor 30's to avoid Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 Price: £3.75/200ml After testing the product twice, Morrisons sun spray failed to provide the 'claimed level of protection from UVB rays', Which? said. After informing Morrisons of its results, the supermarket giant told Which? it was looking closely at the data and working with its supplier to carry out additional independent testing. Ultrasun Family SPF30 Price: £28/150ml Ultrasun's product passed the SPF test but didn't meet the minimum required UVA level for an SPF30 product in either the initial or repeat test. Responding to the findings, the company 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 continue to not only meet but surpass industry standards. 'Our chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available, and our UVB and UVA filters are tested both in-vitro and in-vivo. 'We conclusively support the results of our independent tests which found the Ultrasun Family SPF30 reached a UVB-SPF in vivo of 31.4 and a UVA-PF in vitro of 13.1, which equates to a 92% UVA absorbance.' Garnier Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Sun Spray SPF50+ Garnier's SPF50 spray passed both tests and was 'easy to apply', the watchdog said. But it noted, the product—which is sold at the likes of Asda, Boots, Morrisons and Sainsbury's—was an expensive option. £8.00 Shop Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray SPF50+ One of the most recognisable products on the market, Nivea's SPF50+ spray passed both SPF and UVA tests. It's only downside, Which? said, was the cost. £7.00 Shop Sainsbury's SPF50+ Moisturising Spray Lotion The watchdog said Sainsbury's spray provides the level of sun protection it claimed it does and there were no major downsides to the product at all. £5.75 Shop SPF50+ Children's Recommendations Childs Farm SPF50+ Sun Cream Fragrance-Free Which? said the product offers 'excellent sun protection' and passed both key tests. The sunscreen, sold online on Amazon as well as in Boots, does 'feel a bit greasy', it noted. £12 Shop
Glasgow Times
10 hours ago
- Health
- Glasgow Times
£28 family sunscreen among brands to fail safety testing, Which? finds
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 UVA protection levels in two separate tests by Which?. Ultrasun passed the UVB SPF part of the test but failed on UVA testing, scoring 9.1 and then 9.5 in a retest. Morrisons SPF 30 Sun Spray (Which?/PA) Which? required a score of 10 or more for a pass. Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 also failed to meet minimum SPF protection levels in two tests. The 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. 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. 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. A Morrisons spokeswoman added: 'We work closely with our supplier and conduct extensive efficacy and safety testing during product development. As such, all our sun care products are tested to the relevant industry test standards and are not approved for launch until they meet these standards. During development and production all tested variants consistently achieved an SPF of 30. 'In direct response to this report from Which? we have retested the SPF against the British and International Standard BS EN ISO 24444:2020 and can confirm the product has achieved an SPF value of 34.5 and can therefore be labelled as SPF 30.'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
£28 family sunscreen among brands to fail safety testing, Which? finds
A £28 family sunscreen has failed an annual Which? safety test while a £2.99 supermarket alternative passed with 'flying colours', the watchdog said. 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 UVA protection levels in two separate tests by Which?. 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 SPF30 also failed to meet minimum SPF protection levels in two tests. The 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. 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. 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. A Morrisons spokeswoman added: 'We work closely with our supplier and conduct extensive efficacy and safety testing during product development. As such, all our sun care products are tested to the relevant industry test standards and are not approved for launch until they meet these standards. During development and production all tested variants consistently achieved an SPF of 30. 'In direct response to this report from Which? we have retested the SPF against the British and International Standard BS EN ISO 24444:2020 and can confirm the product has achieved an SPF value of 34.5 and can therefore be labelled as SPF 30.'
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
£28 family sunscreen among brands to fail safety testing, Which? finds
A £28 family sunscreen has failed an annual Which? safety test while a £2.99 supermarket alternative passed with 'flying colours', the watchdog said. 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 UVA protection levels in two separate tests by Which?. 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 SPF30 also failed to meet minimum SPF protection levels in two tests. The 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. 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. 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. A Morrisons spokeswoman added: 'We work closely with our supplier and conduct extensive efficacy and safety testing during product development. As such, all our sun care products are tested to the relevant industry test standards and are not approved for launch until they meet these standards. During development and production all tested variants consistently achieved an SPF of 30. 'In direct response to this report from Which? we have retested the SPF against the British and International Standard BS EN ISO 24444:2020 and can confirm the product has achieved an SPF value of 34.5 and can therefore be labelled as SPF 30.'
