When it comes to buying sun cream, you may think that the more expensive, the better. But new research has discovered that some budget-friendly products that cost as little as £2 may be just as effective - if not more - than brands that cost four times the price.
Research by consumer watchdog Which? discovered that bottles of sun cream costing under £2.50 in Aldi and Asda were as effective as a £9 Hawaiian Tropic product. They also matched the level of protection as an £8 Piz Buin spray.
£2 sun creams have been found to be just as effective as more expensive products
Sun creams from 15 supermarkets and popular brands were tested, with all of them found to match the sun protection factor (SPF) listed on the bottles. However, there was no difference in the amount of protection from harmful ultraviolet A (UVA) rays offered between the cheapest and most expensive products, showing you don't need to splash out to protect yours or your family's skin from sun damage.
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Nikki Stopford, Which? director of research and publishing, said: "Our findings show that you don't need to spend a lot of money on sunscreens to get the best protection. It's encouraging that the brands we tested appear to have upped their game since we started carrying out our rigorous tests - with all the sunscreens we tested for SPF and UVA passing this year."
Aldi's sun cream only cost £2.39 a bottle
The best performing sun creams:
Aldi's Lacura Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 (200ml) and Asda's Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 (200ml) may only cost £2.39 each, but they performed just as well as Hawaiian Tropic Duo Defence SPF30 (180ml), which costs £9 for a smaller bottle.
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They were also equally as effective as Piz Buin's Tan & Protect Tan Intensifying Spray SPF30 (150ml), which costs £8. Meanwhile, own brand sun creams from the likes of Wilko, Tesco, Lidl and Morrisons all proved to be great choices at around £3 each, along with more expensive offerings from Nivea and Lloyds Pharmacy, which cost £7 a bottle.