Press Release
Issued 9th June 2008

How well is your sunscreen really protecting you?...
Consumer Choice report reveals that some leading sunscreen brands are not providing the level of protection that their labels claim

The June issue of Consumer Choice magazine - Ireland’s only independently written, researched and published consumer affairs magazine - is available now from the Consumer Association of Ireland. Each month the consumer experts at Consumer Choice magazine undertake extensive product testing and comparisons and in this month’s edition, as we finally get to see some summer sun, the team put sun protection products under the microscope.

Eight leading sunscreen brands were put to the ‘Choice Buy’ test to assess what we should look for when buying a sunscreen. The Consumer Choice researchers discovered that some of the top brands do not offer the protection levels they claim on the label. Twelve testers were used according to the International SPF Test Method and Marks & Spencer’s Sun Formula Moisturising Lotion SPF 15 (€12) was revealed to have a significantly lower SPF level of just 7.1 when measured in the laboratory. Another market leading brand, Piz Buin in Sun SPF 15 (€9) had a lower SPF when tested of 14.1 and Malibu High Protection Lotion 15 (€6) was found to have an SPF of just 10.2. “It is disappointing that our research has revealed that leading sun protection products do not stand up under scrutiny. Consumers are not getting the protection they expect from these sun products and that poses risks. It is worth noting that sunscreens with 100% protection against the sun simply do not exist, and the only way to completely protect your skin from sun damage is to stay out of the sun,” advises Jenny Harrow.

Child car seats were also put under the Consumer Choice spot light. Consumer Choice tested some of the smaller brands available on the Irish market to see if they are worth considering. Thirteen child car seats were rigorously tested for safety, comfort and ease of use with both crash test dummies and live users who weren’t slow to give their opinions. “The good news is that even the seats that aren’t up to quite up to our Choice Buy standards performed satisfactorily in the safety tests,” says researcher Jenny Harrow.

Also in this month’s issue, Aisling Murtagh reports on the organic food debate and asks if organic is worth the extra cost when the benefits are taken in to account, and can consumers get a fairer deal if they shop around? Consumer Choice compared the prices of organic and conventional produce and unsurprisingly in most cases, organic fruit and vegetables were more expensive than their non-organic equivalent. Although just how much more expensive may come as a surprise - organic fruit and vegetables were 23% more expensive than conventional produce at Farmers Markets and a whopping 41% dearer at the supermarket. When comparing organic with organic, Consumer Choice found that while supermarket prices tended to be lower, farmers markets can provide a better deal – broccoli was €3.38 per kilo at the farmers market and leeks were €2.05 cheaper.

Other topics covered in this month’s issue include the regulation of herbal medicines, allergen food labelling and the Consumer Association of Ireland calls for pharmacists to be given the power to substitute generic equivalents for brand specific medicines in their report on the role of pharmacies in Irish healthcare.