Avon sun cream puts consumers at risk of skin cancer ‘as it fails to offer SPF protection advertised on bottle’
In a test of the 14 best-selling factor-30 sun creams, Avon's £10 lotion was found to offer the worst defence against harmful UV rays
FAMILIES are risking their health with sun creams that fail to offer the protection they claim.
Consumer watchdog Which? tested 14 of the best-selling factor-30 sun creams - and found a branded bottle was not up to scratch.
The failure was Avon’s Sun+Multi Protection Moisturising Sun Lotion which at £10 was the priciest on test.
It offered a lower sun protection factor (SPF) than the claimed 30. The other 13 products tested passed.
This included products from international brands like Hawaiian Tropic and Nivea, as well high street own-brands such as Morrisons and Superdrug.
That means they offer around a fifth less protection than they claim, which experts say can affect chances of skin cancer.
Richard Headland, editor of Which? Magazine, said: “As the summer holiday season approaches, anyone choosing and applying a sunscreen should be confident that it will help protect them from the sun’s rays.
"Sunscreens are a key part of sun safety so it’s important to pick a product you can rely on.
“It’s disappointing to see that, although most sunscreens passed our test, one didn’t provide the claimed level of protection.
Manufacturers should only be selling products that live up to their claims which is why Which? will continue to monitor and challenge the industry.”
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Sun creams offer protection against UVB and UVA rays - both of which cause cancer. UVB is the main cause of sunburn and UVA is linked to premature skin ageing.
The sun protection factor, or SPF, shows how well a cream blocks out UVB rays.
The number refers to how much extra protection it offers - two being twice as much as skin naturally has and 30 means 30 times as much.
According to EU recommendations sun creams should offer a UVA protection factor that is a third of their SPF value.
All 14, including Avon, matched their UVA protection claims.