Two sunscreens in the UK have failed safety testing by Which? – prompting the consumer group to recommend that consumers do not buy them.
Ultrasun Family SPF30 (150ml) and Morrisons Moisturising Sun Spray SPF30 (200ml) were both found not to meet the minimum SPF protection levels, the group claims.
Which? said it uses industry-recognised testing methods at independent labs that are part of British and International standards.
If a product failed on the first test, Which? repeated it. If the product passed the second round of testing, a third test was performed.
Products are branded a ‘Don’t Buy’ by the organisation if they fail SPF or UVA testing twice overall.
Which? tested 15 sunscreens sold in the UK from big brands and supermarkets across categories, including SPF 30, SPF 50/50+ and Kids SPF 50/50+.
This included products from retailers and brands like Boots Soltan, Nivea, Garnier, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl and Superdrug.
For SPF and UVB, Which? said it tested to the official British and International standard BS EN ISO 24444:2020.
Sunscreen was applied to the backs of at least ten people, then a UV lamp was shined on their skin.
It compared the smallest dose of UVB light required to turn skin red, with and without sunscreen, to verify the SPF.
For UVA testing, the group said it tested to the official standard BS EN ISO 24443:2021.
Sunscreen was spread onto a glass plate and placed under a UV spectrophotometer, which measures absorption of UVA radiation.
To pass, the measurement needed to be at least one third of the claimed SPF.
Which? said that Ultrasun passed the UVB SPF part of the test but failed on UVA testing.
The product’s UVA score was 9.1 and 9.5 in a retest, the consumer group claims.
A score of 10 or more is needed for a pass.
UltraSun said in a statement: “Ultrasun is fully confident in our testing protocols.
“As an independent brand delivering very high UVB and UVA protection options for over 30 years, our detailed testing processes, independent and peer reviewed, continue to not only meet but surpass industry standards.
“Our chosen testing protocol is one of the strictest available.
“Further detail and clarification from Which? on their testing protocols would also be helpful, particularly on how these resulted in two different results from the same sample.
“We conclusively support the results of our independent tests which found the Ultrasun Family SPF30 reached a UVB-SPF in vivo of 31.4 and a UVA-PF in vitro of 13.1 which equates to a 92% UVA absorbance.
“The UVA absorbance is calculated by the formula 1-(1/UVA-PF).”
Meanwhile, the group said it found Morrisons SPF was 25.7 and 20.7 on retesting.
In this part, a score of 30 or more is needed for a pass.
A Morrisons spokesperon said: "We work closely with our supplier and conduct extensive efficacy and safety testing during product development.
“As such all our sun care products are tested to the relevant industry test standards and are not approved for launch until they meet these standards.
“During development and production all tested variants consistently achieved an SPF of 30.
“In direct response to this report from Which? we have retested the SPF against the British and International Standard BS EN ISO 24444:2020 and can confirm the product has achieved an SPF value of 34.5 and can therefore be labelled as SPF 30.”
Dr Emma Meredith OBE, Director-General of the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA), responding to Which?’s report, said: “All sunscreens, regardless of their price, must comply with strict UK cosmetic laws.
“Every claim made, including about SPF and UVA protection, must be supported by rigorous testing and robust evidence, ensuring that our sun protection products not only meet expectations but also uphold the highest standards of trust.
“Companies use supportive data and scientists with expert sun care knowledge to check their results and should only sell the product when the whole package of development test data and the final sun protection test results match.”
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