SCREEN SAVERS

£28 Apprentice sunscreen FAILS Which? trial.. as cheap high street brands PASS

AS PARTS of Britain bake in record temperatures, the burning question for some is, which sun lotion to use.

And the good news is that the cheap high street brands give the best protection – while a pricey £28 lotion failed to meet its SPF promise.

Sir Alan Sugar is joint owner of the firm that makes Tropic Skin Shade Cream (200ml) along with Susie Ma, who was in series seven of The Apprentice.

Tropic Skincare has taken the mineral-based suncream off the shelves after Which? slapped a “don’t buy” label on it.

The watchdog had found the cream did not meet its SPF promise and failed tests on UVA protection, leaving users at risk of skin damage.

A Tropic Skincare spokeswoman said while the firm disagreed with the Which? findings it was carrying out tests with several labs “as an extra precaution for our customers”.

All the mineral-based sunscreens in the Which? study performed badly. Clinque Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF30 (125ml) for £26, and Alba Botanica Sensitive Mineral Fragrance Free SPF30 (113g) for £11.99, also failed both the SPF and UVA tests. But chemical-based suncreams, such as Asda’s Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 (200ml) for £2.80, Morrisons’ Sun Protect & Nourish Sun Spray SPF30 (200ml) for £3.50, and Superdrug’s Solait Moisturising Sun Cream spray SPF30 (200ml) for £5.49 were given the thumbs-up.

Natalie Hitchins, of Which?, said: “Looking after your skin while enjoying the sunshine is something everyone should do to prevent skin damage and the risk of skin cancer. “It’s a massive concern that none of the expensive mineral sunscreens in our tests offered the level of protection claimed on their packaging. Our advice is don’t waste your money.” Which? tested 13 branded and own-label sunscreens and found all eight chemical-based brands from supermarkets and the high street, costing as little as £2.80, matched their protection claims. Chemical-based sunscreens use ingredients which absorb UV rays, whereas mineral-based creams physically block ultra-violet radiation using ingredients such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Clinique said its lotion met the SPF claims and EU guidelines for UVA and had “rigorous testing”. Alba Botanica declined to comment. Tropic Skincare said: “We have sent all our sunscreen for independent re-testing with multiple labs and have ceased sale for our mineral sunscreens while we await definitive results.”