LloydsPharmacy Solero sun cream feedback thread. Non tester - Skin care hamper to be won! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 250 Mumsnetters who tested LloydsPharmacy Solero sun creams.

Here’s what LloydsPharmacy has to say: “April 2016 sees the launch of our reformulated and re-packaged own brand of suncare range, Solero. We understand that our customers’ skin is as unique as they are, which is why we have introduced a range of suncream that is perfect for every type of skin – an ultra-sensitive range for skin prone to eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis, which has been dermatologically tested and approved, and a triple defence range that protects from 3 types of harmful rays, UV-A, UV-B and Infrared-A”

Non-tester? For a chance to win a LloydsPharmacy skin care hamper worth over £75 answer the below question:

• What are your favourite holiday destinations for taking the kids away?
  
  Testers, please ensure that you have completed this survey and left feedback below to be entered into the £300 voucher prize draw.
  
  Below are some questions, but please feel free to add any other comments you have regarding your testing of LloydsPharmacy Solero sun cream:
  
  Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
  Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
  
  Thanks, and good luck!
  
  MNHQ
  
  Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake]

Q1:When and where did you test the sun cream? I tested it over the weekend. We used it in the garden, at the park and down the beach
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
I prefer to use all day Sun cream, and reapply every 3-4 hours. As I have 6 children applying every 1-2 hours makes a lot of work. HOWEVER I will continue to use this on the 2 that suffer from eczema as they didn't have the slightest reaction to it which is brilliant.

[janney3]

I tested the sun cream on myself and children in the Uk for school and days out.

I liked the Solero ultra sensitive lotion best, it was easy to apply and not too sticky or greasy after an application. The kids spray was fine but I'm not so keen on spray on sun creams due to sometimes gaining a lighter coverage.

The protection was good, no one was sunburnt, but like other posters if you can buy a 5 star UVA protection at a good price ( Soltan) why would you reduce the amount of protection and buy a 3 star rated product.

The product was good though and I would buy it again if they could improve the UVA protection rating.

[mylittlel]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?

In Russia, Moscow. Have tested it during the sunny, hot days. It protected my little girl well, she didnt have any burns

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

I have tried different brands starting from 1 pound which protected my little girl equally. I would consider buying this cream/spray in the future if it was a little bit less (in my price bracket)

[tillys2]

We tested the the sun creams on Friday when we had sun with my 2 year old Grandson.
Easy to apply, yet a little sticky. Not too runny and did the job. I would probably buy this as it is cheaper. Saying that, I do prefer the smell of Nivea.

[minxyone23]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
Tested the suncream at home with our three younger kids playing in the garden and older two tried it heading off on a hike with their scout group
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
It caused no adverse reactions, smelled fine and applied easily which are all good, but I cannot honestly say I'd change from the brand I currently use as it just wasn't as good a consistency and lacked the important features I look for.
When buying sun cream, I want something which lasts as long as possible to ensure I don't need to reapply constantly whilst out or that it can be used before school and still provide adequate protection by lunchtime. This didn't quite fit the bill in that sense. I always have at least one product at home which provides 6-8 hours protection for school days and would pay extra for that benefit.
Also I cannot stand greasy or sticky creams so I usually use one with a powder-like feel which I love. The solero spray and lotion were not extremely greasy compared to other products I've used in the past, but couldn't compete with our usual Powder-dri product from Banana Boat.

Overall, the product was good and performed well, but I really do want everything from a sun cream product and would rather get the added benefit of longer protection and the best possible product consistency and feel on the skin.

[jackiekatu]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
The weekend before the last on a day out tona local farm and on 3
normal weekdays to work and nursery.
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

Both products were easy to apply and absorbed well into my skin
And my two year olds skin.
My lo's nursery staff mentioned that it was very water resistant as
He used it on a very hot Day playing with water in the nursery
Garden.
The smell was bearable compared to some other brands which
range in the same price .
Thank you for choosing me to test this brand and i would
highly recommend it , specially for the kids.

[RachArk23]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?

At home last weekend.

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

It's a handy sized bottle, but it stained my little girl's dress. Would possibly use again provided she was wearing play clothes I wasn't bothered about getting stained!

[TopsysMum]

We tested the sun cream for every day use. Mainly school and playing out.

The cream seemed to do the job well. DS1 suffers with mild eczema (usually only caused by sun cream and wrong washing powder) and the spray seemed not to affect him after a few days. However, I had to put 'my' Solero (ultra sensitive) cream on him one day when we were out and his eczema broke out that evening. Not sure if it was a reaction that has been building for a few days or an immediate reaction to the cream. Unfortunately we've not had enough sunny days since to find out! Typical!

[TopsysMum]

Oh and I found the ultra sensitive great to use. Whoops - forgot that bit!

[TopsysMum]

Solero seemed better than my usual brand, I'd definitely make a trip to buy it especially with the 2 for £8 offer that seems to be on according to the advert!

[PiaMaria79]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?

We had couple of really hot, sunny days towards the end of the half term and the products arrived promptly to accomondate the weather, we tested them whilst spending a lot of time out in the garden which included water play as well

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

I was desperate to try something new as we have started to have a reaction towards our usual brand lately, Soltan. Our middle child who usually doesn't suffer from any skin conditions has all of a sudden started to get a rash from the cream. We used the ultra sensitive sun spray first as the sun was truly blaring down on us, applying is easy until your hands are slippery from spreading it, then the pushing of the top becomes a challenge to get more spray out (but this happens with all brands of sprays I've noticed), it spreads well and smells nice. My biggest problem was having to reapply it so often, kids get dirty, sweaty and wet, doesn't feel nice at all to try and reapply lotion on to such skin.
Once school started again we used the triple defend protection on their faces, especially nose and ears but as there's no possibility to reapply during school days our eldest came home after a sports day with a very red nose.

[earthmoon]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
We tested it in the UK, early last week while the weather was nice and hot.

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

The ultra sensitive sun lotion was very thick and takes a while to absorb, otherwise it was great. The best aspect is that it didn't cause out breaks and it stayed on his skin much longer than expected.

[tinyterrors]

We tested it over the bank holiday weekend when we had a really hot day.

We tested the ultra sensitive sun lotion and the kids ultra sensitive sun spray.

They were both easy to apply, unlike other factor 50 suncream I've used it wasn't really thick and gloomy which makes it hard to rub in. We usually use either sultan once 8hr water resistant, which is very thick and difficult to get on four dcs quickly before school, or amber solaire kids water resistant, which is very thin so goes everywhere. The solero was somewhere in between which made it quick and easy to apply both before we went out and while we were out. We were out for a good few hours and I reapplied the suncream a couple of times and the dcs were fine, I missed part of my shoulder and got slightly burnt.
I've got very sensitive skin as have three of my dcs and it can be a nightmare to find a suncream that we can all use so that I don't end up carting four different suncreams on a day out. None of us had a reaction to this suncream, so far anyway, which made a day out that little bit easier. The mini bottle was a great size to have in my bag without being bulky and is reasonably priced for the size, I also like that it's a spray as many 'bag size' suncreams are in tubes which can be difficult to use when your hands a covered in suncream.

I'd definitely use it again, and will get some more next time I'm near lloyds, but I wouldn't use the one I tested for school purely because I got burnt on a spot I missed. The dcs are at school for 8 hours and are outside for almost an hour at lunchtime, we were out during the afternoon and I burned in under 4 hours. My dcs are all under 8 years old so they can't be trusted to reapply suncream properly during the school day. For a family day out or even just playing in the garden then I'd definitely use solero again.

Having looked at the whole range I'm going to try the face suncream as I find my usual suncreams are either too thick and craggy for my face and cause breakouts or are so thin it runs into my/the dcs eyes when trying to put it on.

[Boglin]

I'm still waiting for a sunny day to try ours out, it has done nothing but rain since I got my samples! :-(

[Mammabear31]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
At home in the garden, and during the week at nursery

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
Initially it seemed good - nice smell, not too overpowering and the packaging was good. However on application it became clear that it would not be a brand I would use again. It was very greasy, and did not seem to soak into the skin - it just sat on the surface, no matter how much we tried to rub it in it still felt sticky. Despite this, it did seem to do its job well - we went on a 5 mile bike ride in blazing sunshine then spent the rest of the day in the garden, and none of us got burnt.

If the consistency could be improved I would buy this product.

[Archiesmummy1]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
On my children and myself when we had nice weather, so before school and weekend.
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
The children's one being a spray was easy enough to apply and absorbed in well, it did leave horrible yellow stains on clothes though, which took some getting out, didn't wash away in the normal machine cycle. The triple defence lotion I used for myself and again was easy to apply and absorb and again left stains on my clothes. But over all I think this probided good coverage and protected my skin from sun damage.

[Fumnudge]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
Last week in the garden
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
Agree with other comments that the longevity is disappointing, very sticky but my children were fine with that and I think all 50% are sticky (I can't stand it so will be using my once a day Aldi one still).
I noticed it didn't annoy my youngest's eyes so for that reason it gets the thumbs up.
It def. worked as my v silly husband decided to work in the sun with no top on and you could tell where the suncream stopped and the lobster started!

[Cintacmrs123]

We tested it in our garden while out all day in the sandpit.
The cream went on well and was absorbed quickly - so luckily not a lot of sand stuck to it. The cream also had no real strong odour like some sun creams and best of all my DD did not react as she has very sensitive skin. Was just as good as the suncream I use.

The spray wasn't as much of a hit as DD didn't like the spray action so very difficult to apply but that is just because she DD preferred rubbing on the cream herself

[Allhallowseve]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?

Tested over last couple of weeks while weather had been hot!
Kids suncream was taken out and about as was a nice easy bottle size to fit in bag and it squirted out easily which was good for a quick application in the park.
The factor thirty was used at home.

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
I liked it especially the factor 50 kids it had no smell and wasn't too sticky or greasy which was good especially when my little one is playing in sand etc. I preferred it to my usual brand because of this and it's ease of application.
The factor 30 had a lovely smell to it and applies well. It worked well and my husband usually burns his scalp but he didn't using this.

[jangolf]

Q1 We tested both creams at home during the recent hot weather and also at school.
My daughter enjoyed being able to apply her suncream independently using the spray and also it was a convenient size to take into school to reapply late. I used the ultra sensitive and found it more like a body lotion nice and thick with good absorbency.I like some other users found that it has stained her school dress unfortunately and won't come out in the wash.
However despite this be both liked the creams very much and they seemed to offer very good protection.
Q2 We would therefore consider purchasing these for future use having normally in the past used Boots soltan or Nivea sensitive.

[Melonrunner]

We used ours in the garden with paddling pool towards the end of the day (3:30-5:30). I wouldn't use the kids cream at peak sunshine time because it only has 3 stars rating for uvb which is the lowest I've come across. I was thick but think that's fine considering its factor 50. The kids didn't moan about it so seemed fine. I prefer soltan for the kids as it has 5 star.

The triple protect I tested on my face neck and chest. It felt OK, a bit sticky and I didn't burn. I prefer soltan as it dries non sticky.

[Reubymum]

Thank you for lettingus take part.

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?

We were getting worried as we had no sun!! Luckily at last the sun came out for our birthday zoo trip!!
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?

I liked it at first the snell was fairly pleasant , it was really easy to use and soaked it quickly. (To my mums delight when my dad used some for his nose!! He has a habit of over use.) However after seeing a post recently on facebook regarding UVA rating, I noticed this was only 3 star instead of my usual 5 star. That did disappoint me I have to say. Maybe this isn't as important than I think but I really want to feel I am using the best protection I can for their fair delicate skin.

[BlipBlapBlop]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?
We tested the cream on a really sunny day in Victoria Park, east London.
Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use?
I had the defence one for me and it is around same price as my usual brand and I must say I was pleased, it went on easy and didn't feel too thick and sticky either. I probably only applied the once for me and I had no redness/burn or anything so I was really pleased.
I tried the kids one on my 2.7 year old and also found it easy to apply, and soaked in nicely. I did think that her one seemed a bit stickier and consequently had sand stuck to her quite a bit where I couldn't clean off completely and reapply.
Overall I was happy and would definitely buy again.
Thank you for letting us try it
Also I have changed my user name since I signed up.

[carz1985]

Q1: When and where did you test the sun cream?. We tested the sun cream over the last week in our garden and at my mums.

Q2: How did you think LloydsPharmacy Solero compared to the brand you normally use? I liked the fact that it wasn't runny and was easy to apply,though It didn't seem to soak in very well but It seemed to do the job it's meant to.
My normal brand seems to be better so not sure if I'd switch to this.

[Chesterell]

We tested the products in the garden. It was really easy to apply. I loved the price of it and the one I used for me was great. The one my son used was a really great cream to apply, he usually fusses so I can't apply properly but he didn't with this one, only problem would be that if he used this one for school, it wouldn't last the whole day. It is however perfect for use at home or out and about.