The UK has a very active and visible consumer protection culture with high profile TV programmes and magazines fighting the side of the consumer against unscrupulous companies, both large and small. Their reports have a great impact on the buying decisions of the British public and reputations can be enhanced or severely damaged. Personal care products feature regularly, and in May it was the turn of sun protection products to be assessed by the magazine, Which?.
Which? is a magazine published since 1957 by the Consumer Association, a British charity. It is hugely influential and is often referenced as a well-respected, impartial voice.
The magazine tested 25 sun protection products on 10 volunteers with a consistent quantity of product added to a consistently-sized area of skin on the back. A lamp was used to simulate the sun’s rays. The day after each exposure, the researchers checked the skin and measured the smallest dose of UV light required to cause redness (erythema) both with and without sun protection product.
In previous years it has been the case that a well-known brand might fail the Which? test, but 2015 was significant in that two very high profile products were singled out as offering inadequate sun protection factor (SPF). These were Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion SPF30 and Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 30, which failed two rounds of tests, offering a reported two-thirds of the claimed SPF, and were therefore labelled as ‘Don’t Buys’ by Which?.
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