CONSUMER watchdog Which? has issued a warning to parents after two popular brands of sun cream failed to live up to their claims of sun protection factor and UVA protection claims.

The watchdog claim their investigation found two creams could leave users unprotected in the sun.

Which? tested 15 branded and own-label sun creams with both Garnier’s Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Spray SPF30 (£7) and Nivea’s Kids Protect & Care SPF50+ Spray (£6) failing at least one key protection test.

Both brands have disputed the findings but Which? have now labelled both creams as ‘Don’t Buy’ products.

The Nivea’s Kids Protect & Care SPF50+ Spray failed the first SPF test and fell “far short of the SPF50 claim on the bottle”.

A further test on a second sample of the sunscreen found the measured SPF was even lower.

Beiersdorf, maker of Nivea, told Which?: “The safety of our products is of utmost importance. Nivea Sun prides itself on its decades of experience in sun care, and when this product was independently tested in 2019 it achieved an SPF of 62. When we re-checked this batch, the result was a UVA protection factor of 25.8. Based on this data and our comprehensive quality requirements, we disagree with the Which? findings.”

Whilst the Garnier’s Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Spray SPF30 passed the SPF test, it failed Which?’s UVA tests twice.
L’Oreal, maker of Garnier Ambre Solaire, disputes the findings, stating they run independent tests of the UVA properties of the product which show that it passes the tests and complies with all applicable standards and provides proper sun protection for consumers.

A spokesperson told Which?: “Garnier Ambre Solaire has been the expert at suncare innovation for over 85 years and is the only suncare brand with research recognised by the British Skin Foundation. We take product efficacy very seriously.

"Our UVA claims are supported by robust photoprotection testing carried out independently under ISO standard ISO 24443:2012 and meet the requirements of the European Recommendation for sun protection products. Given this, we are very surprised by the Which? results.”

According to the NHS website sun protection factor, or SPF, is a measure of the amount of ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) protection.

SPFs are rated on a scale of 2 to 50+ based on the level of protection they offer, with 50+ offering the strongest form of UVB protection.

The star rating measures the amount of ultraviolet A radiation (UVA) protection, the higher the star rating out of five, the better.

The letters "UVA" inside a circle is a European marking. This means the UVA protection is at least a third of the SPF value and meets EU recommendations.

SPF30 sun screens which passed the Which? UVA and SPF tests:

  • Asda Protect Cooling Clear Sun Mist, £3.50/200ml – available from Asda
  • Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Spray, £4.50/200ml – available from Boots
  • Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion, £4/200ml – available from Boots
  • Garnier Ambre Solaire Protection Lotion, £5/200ml – available from Boots, Superdrug and Tesco
  • Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Sun Lotion, £6.50/180ml – available from Boots and Superdrug
  • Lloyds Pharmacy Solero Moisturising Sun Spray, £7/200ml – available from Lloyds Pharmacy
  • Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Spray, £6/200ml – available from Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Wilko
  • Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion, £5/200ml – available from Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Wilko, Tesco and Waitrose
  • Superdrug Solait Moisturising Sun Lotion, £4.99/200ml – available from Superdrug
  • Wilko Suncare Sun Lotion, £3.50/200ml – available from Wilko

SPF50+ kids sun screens which passed Which?’s UVA and SPF tests

  • Boots Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Suncare Lotion, £4/200ml – available from Boots
  • Childs Farm Sun Cream, £12/125ml – available from Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury’s and Asda
  • Garnier Ambre Solaire Kids Sensitive Sun Protection Lotion, £7/200ml – available from Boots, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s