Expensive sun cream is it worth it?

[Joneseygirl77]

Debating whether to take the plunge and buy either some Lancaster or Clarins suncream for my forthcoming holidays. Is it worth it or should I just stick to P20 or soltan?

I think it's worth it for face stuff. I have Roche posay fluide something or other in 50+. Effective non-greasy no white cast and no spots. Otherwise if it has both uva and uvb block I just buy cheapest. Although I love the smell of delial and would buy it but haven't seen it in UK

I read an interesting article in Which? magazine about suncreams and it was surprising that some of the more expensive stuff came out bottom in terms of protection. I believe the previous year Soltan had come out as basically not providing the protection it stated. Aldi's Lacura Sun cream actually came out with better test results than some of the expensive stuff. It also said to stay right away from any suncreams that suggest they only need to be applied once a day.

I read an article ( don't know where, sorry) that said there was little to differentiate in terms of efficacy between the cheap and expensive creams. Advice was to find one you like the smell and consistency of and reapply regularly. Most sun cream failure is due to user error ( not applying enough) rather than the sun cream itself being faulty.

No.

If you have a b and m or a home bargains, full size bottle of ambre solaire are currently £4. Thats the only farty french name that can be trusted.

I used aldi stuff this year and it worked fine. For face I used a face one form wilkinsons. They were all 5 star UVA rated which is more than you get with Nivea and Ambre solaire.

I think yes for face if you have sensitive skin, and the allergy stuff is worth its weight in gold on the body if you suffer prickly heat. Other than that I think as long as it has the correct stars and ratings and you re-apply it's all much of a muchness. I'm a huge fan of boots own brand and it's normally on offer

I still find boots is expensive compared to other own brands. I use own make supermarket stuff

The tesco one works just as well I find. It's just I'm normally in boots doing my other holiday shopping and I'm lazy :)

We only use sunsense. Works a treat for sensitive allergy prone skin. It's expensive but better value than buying one to find it brings ds1 out in a rash.

I'd say definitely not worth it. A has been said above, Which did a big test on suncreams and Calypso cheapo came out really well. Some of the expensive brands didnt even offer the level of protection they claimed...

While we're on this subject, does anyone know of a good sun tan milk as opposed to cream or thickish lotion? I always loved one made by Yves Rocher but they discontinued it. Can't get away with sticky creams and lotions!

Ultrasun is much better than P20.

I like Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic.
Are lotions better than sprays/mists?

Wearing Tesco on holiday now - rubs in properly and smells really nice.

Thanks all consensus appears to be I can save my money then

We've actually got ultrasun for DD- I find it quite thick and generally prefer lotions myself.

I love the aerosol sprays. That's the only "expensive" type I'd go for. Not greasy, easy to aplly. I bought one in Florida last year and came back as white as when I went (I don't tan, just go red so white is preferable).

I think amber solaire do an aerosol.

My 5 year old daughter's skin reacts badly to anything I've tried, except p20. I can use a different cream on her face, but nowhere else . Would love to find an alternative that might be better?

I think that with cheaper sun lotion people tend to apply more of it and more often which makes it more effective than a more expensive one applied more sparingly because it was expensive!
If that makes sense it does in my head

Since going on honeymoon and hence spoiling ourselves with Lancaster nearly 14 years ago, I've never looked back. All the other stuff I used to use Ambre Solaire, Piz Buin etc. left my skin in a terrible state with pimples etc. Now use the kids 50 sun and sand cream for DS. I ❤️ Lancaster.
This year went for an all body exfoliation at the salon a week before I left. Highly recommend getting it done professionally even if they come with the oven mit 😨

Calypso is the Which? Best Buy. Smells ok, does the job and dd with the most sensitive skin tolerates it well, unlike the Boots stuff!

I picked up an aerosol in the States this year and was converted so I would buy that type again if it was dearer, just because the method of pitting it on is so much easier. But I don't buy expensive brands.

No, tell a lie, I bought the Keihls face block for an event when I knew I was going to be 10 hours in the sun and it was pretty good, stayed put, rubbed right in, etc. The factor 50 total blocks can be a nightmare to wear but it was definitely a good one.

I've used loads of creams and sprays, expensive and cheap. You can't beat Calypso for me, their dry oil is the best I've ever used. It's the only one I have used without burning.

Calypso doesn't have 5 star UVA protection which is why I wouldn't use it. I would use other cheap brands that do though.