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Explore health recommendations5 sun cream myths busted by our in-house scientist
Don't get caught out as the days start getting warmer – we bust the common myths and mistakes that could stop you getting the best sun protection
Principal researcher/writer at Which? delivering award-winning health, baby and safety investigations, including our annual sunscreen tests.
Neal Rimmer: With a PhD in Biology and more than seven years of research experience, Neal develops tests across a range of products and is our in-house sunscreens expert.
Summer may feel a long way off, but the days are getting warmer, and it's easy to get caught out in spring sunshine when it comes to protecting your skin.
Choosing the right sunscreen should be simple, but our experts have found that many shoppers are still being caught out by persistent myths regarding what is – and isn’t – safe when it comes to sun protection.
To help you stay safe, we’ve debunked five common sunscreen myths that could be compromising your protection.
Wearing a high SPF means less frequent application - MYTH
High SPF sunscreen isn't a free pass to reapply less often.
While SPF30 sun cream will filter out 97% of UVB rays, SPF50 filters out 98%. You should still reapply every two hours to maintain protection, and top it up more often if you've been in the water or sweating heavily.
Best sun creams: Which? Best Buys and expert buying advice
Once-a-day sunscreens last all day - MYTH
While there aren't masses of 'once a day' sun creams on the market these days (the term has fallen out of favour in the cosmetics industry with 'durable' being the preferred term), it's still worth watching out for the claims they might be making.
We previously tested once-a-day sun creams in 2016, which showed an average decrease of 74% in SPF protection on the products after six to eight hours of typical daily or holiday activities such as swimming, sweating and wearing clothes.
Claims that these sun creams provide consistent SPF protection throughout the day could give people a false sense of security. Opting for a regular SPF30 or SPF50 sun cream and reapplying regularly is a better option.
Do 'once a day' sun creams last all day?
SPF in make-up will protect your skin - MYTH
Make-up with built-in SPF shouldn't replace sunscreen. You'd have to apply a large amount to get the required level of SPF that it's claiming, and could leave you looking very odd when you're slathering on foundation.
A better option is an SPF50 face sunscreen applied under your make-up.
Best sunscreens for your face: top daily SPFs from our expert tests
You don't need sun cream on a cloudy day - MYTH
Don't assume you're safe from the sun's rays behind clouds or windows.
You can still burn on cloudy days and UVA rays – which reach the deepest layer of your skin and cause premature ageing – can penetrate glass such as car windows. Spring sun in the UK, can also be damaging to skin.
Don't get caught out in the sun – avoid these Don't Buy sun creams that have failed our SPF or UVA tests
Having a base tan will stop you burning - MYTH
A tan is your skin's distress signal, and a sign that it's already damaged. When UV rays hit your skin, the body produces melanin to try to protect it, which is what causes it to turn brown.
Building up a 'base tan' so that you can bypass the sun cream for the rest of the week is a bad idea, and every skin tone can be damaged by the sun's UV rays, so wear a sunscreen with at least SPF30 in it.
