Best cheap sun creams revealed - and one to avoid

Getting great sun protection this summer doesn’t have to mean splashing out, but be careful which sun cream you choose, as one failed our sun safety tests.

Our independent lab tests of high street SPF30 and kids' SPF50+ sunscreens have uncovered some brilliant cheaper sun creams that protect you from UVA and UVB rays for £4 per 200ml or less.

But it’s not all good news. One of the SPF30 sun creams tested - Avon Refreshing 3-in-1 Face and Body Sun Lotion (£5.75/150ml) - failed to provide its claimed level of SPF in our tests. Because of this, we’ve made it a Don’t Buy. 

Read on to discover the cheap and reliable sun creams to snap up, and the sun creams we recommend you steer clear of.

Best-value sun creams

Asda might not naturally be your first port of call when buying sun cream, but our tests show it's a good bet for lower-priced sun protection. 

Three Asda products (two SPF30 and one kids' SPF50+ spray lotion) have passed our sun safety tests, and are great value compared with rivals.

Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion - both the SPF30 and SPF50+ kids' versions - are also excellent value options. 

Asda Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 (£3/200ml) 

Asda Protect Refreshing Clear Sun Spray SPF30 (£4/200ml)

undefined

Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion, SPF30 (£4/200ml)

undefinedAvailable from 

Boots Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise Lotion, SPF50+, (£4/200ml)

 - see all of the best SPF30 and SPF50+ sun sprays, lotions and creams

Don't Buy this sun cream

Avon’s Refreshing 3-in-1 Face and Body Sun Lotion SPF30 (£5.75/150ml) didn’t come close to hitting its claimed SPF30 in our independent lab tests. 

We tested it twice, and on both occasions the SPF provided was well below 30. Because of this we’ve given it our Don’t Buy warning. 

Avon's response

We alerted Avon to the results of our testing, and it told us: ‘The safety of our customers is our priority and that’s why our expert skincare team produces the most effective sun care formulas. 

Upon hearing from Which? Avon has engaged its quality and research and development teams to investigate the specific batch of product that Which? tested. Avon stands behind its data and that of the independent labs which conduct our testing.'

 - see all the Don’t Buy sun creams from our tests

Which? 2023 sunscreen tests: full list of products that passed

Every product listed here passed both our SPF and UVA tests in 2023:

SPF 30 sun creams

Asda Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30Asda Protect Refreshing Clear Sun Spray SPF30Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Lotion, SPF30Boots Soltan Protect & Moisturise Spray SPF30Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture SPF30 lotionSuperdrug Solait Moisturising Sun Cream Lotion SPF30

SPF50+ Kids’ sun creams    

Asda Kids Sun Lotion Spray SPF 50+ HighBoots Soltan Kids Protect & Moisturise LotionChilds Farm 50+ SPF Sun Lotion SprayChilds Farm SPF50+ Kids Roll-on Sun LotionNivea Sun Kids Protect & Care SPF50+ SpraySainsbury's Sun Protect By Sainsburys Kids Lotion Sun Spray SPF50+Superdrug Solait Kids SPF 50+ Roll-on Sun Lotion - we explain SPF and UVA ratings, plus sun cream marketing spin to be wary of

How Which? tests sun cream

undefined

Our independent lab tests are designed to find out how effectively popular brands of sun cream will protect your skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.

Tests are carried out to recognised British and International test standards, including:

SPF testsUVA tests

Any products that fail either test are subject to a repeat test. If a product passes the second test, we'll do a third to determine the final results.

Application tests

In addition to the core safety tests, we also assess how easy and pleasant each sun cream is to apply. A product is only good if you'll use it, so our Best Buys are the ones that get the highest scores for these measures, on top of passing SPF and UVA tests.

We use a panel of at least 10 people to trial each sun cream and tell us how easy it was to apply, how easily it absorbs into the skin, greasiness, residue and tackiness.

The products we test are anonymised so that testers aren't influenced by brands.

 - read reviews for 26 sun creams, lotions and sprays including seven Best Buys

All prices correct as of 15 June 2023

source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/best-cheap-sun-creams-revealed-and-one-to-avoid-ak7F93P7veRo