Suncream Reviews - National Sun Awareness Week

Sunday marks the end of National Sun Awareness Week, and whilst it might not seem something that you think about when we hardly see the sun in Scotland, don’t be fooled. The sun is wonderful, but can be damaging to your health.

On a recent holiday abroad, in blistering temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius and upwards, my skin felt great – my dry patches eased up, my dermatitis was gone. We have become a little afraid of the sun in recent times, when what we should really be doing is respecting it. In Scotland we are Vitamin D deficient – we all need a little bit of sunshine from time to time. But, we need to respect the sun, and protect ourselves from the damage it can do.We are also high on the list for skin cancer in Europe.

The UVB rays burn, and the UVA rays age. I don’t want to burn or age unnecessarily, so took a selection of suncreams with me on my recent trip to try out. In heat that fierce, I used nothing less than a 30, and most of the time worked with a Factor 50 on my face and body. My parents and my partner helped out with the review, and between us we pretty much used up our suncreams. Most people don’t use enough suncream – trust me, you need to re-apply every time you come out of the sea or the pool and at least every two hours if you are sitting out in the sun. And you need to use a decent amount – around two tablespoons to cover your whole body. It might sound a lot, but it really isn’t. Be safe in the sun!

Shiseido Expert Sun Ageing Protection Lotion Plus SPF50+ for Face and Body (£35.50, houseoffraser.co.uk) This lotion is quite runny, so be careful with it – you don’t want to waste it. Bit that can be the only complaint. This lotion worked wonders in high temperatures even on our pale Scottish skin.

I loved the 100ml size as well – it fits in your hand luggage. But, I think for a week’s holiday, if this was the only cream you were using, you’d need a couple of bottles. It is perfect for the face as well, it’s really light in texture. It contains lovely things like rose apple leaf extract, and utilises natural ingredients in a scientific way to get the best sun protection and skincare all at once.

Clinique Sun Protection Body Cream SPF30 (£18.50, clinique.co.uk) This cream split opinions. I loved it, my other half didn’t. He didn’t like a cream, preferring the ease of a spray on suncream/lotion. I just loved this cream – it felt amazing on, moisturised my hands beautifully and went on so smoothly.

We used this cream so much, we completely finished the tube in a week, and that was in between using other sunscreens as well! So, for a week’s holiday we’d definitely need a couple of tubes.

Sisley Fluid Body Suncream SPF30 (£85.50, johnlewis.com). Sisley’s suncream is brilliant. I’ve used this for years, this particular spray lotion, and I’ve never had an issue with the cream – it protects, it is amazing for your skin, it smells heavenly, and one bottle will last you a week on holiday, even if you are both using it, and applying the right amounts.

However, we did have a little issue with this spray getting clogged up and not working from time to time. Try not to tip the bottle upside down too much! Yes, it is expensive, really expensive, but if you care about your beauty routine and use expensive facial products, there’s no point scrimping on your suncream, is there? it’s full of botanical ingredients and uses the best technology to protect your skin.

Boots Soltan Protect & Tan Ultra Light Texture Suncare Lotion SPF30 (£6.49, boots.com). At this price for 200ml, this is the best buy suncare we tried. My parents got through most of the bottle during the week, and my dad actually looked more tanned than i have seen him in years. That could be down to the fact that this suncream is formulated to stimulate your body’s natural tanning process, whilst protecting you. It did exactly that, and if you are looking for a no fuss suncream, at a great price, then this is definitely it. Boots suggest a bottle this size has enough suncream for six full body applications – so, if there are two of you, doing more in and out of the pool or sea trips than my parents, then I would suggest a couple of bottles for a week’s holiday.

We also tried a few other tanning products, including the new Sisley SPF30 Super Stick Solaire (£67.50) which my dad loved for his nose, ears and neck. It’s a new product, just launched as we were on holiday, using active ingredients with emollient and nourishing properties such as camelia oil, mango butter and shea butter. We had the colourless stick – which did go on quite white, so be careful to rub it it. It also comes in a tinted formula.

We used Clarins Sun Control Stick for Sun Sensitive Areas UVA/UVB30 (£16, clarins.co.uk) which was excellent for lips and nose and ears, and felt super-smooth and moisturising on application, and did its job well. But I didn’t get on so well with the Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Cream For Face SPF30 (£18) which I just think wasn’t high enough on the first day, when the temperature did reach around 35 at one point. I felt my face tight and tingly and red after a day at the beach, even with re-application. I definitely needed a 50 on this day, and this product does come in an SPF50 as well.

Whatever suncream you decide to go with, make sure you take enough, and make sure you re-apply, re-apply and re-apply. Without wanting to bore, it’s great to have fun in the sun – as long as you are safe!