News

23rd June 2004

Children's sun creams do not live up to claims

Some children's sunscreens do not offer the level of protection that they claim to, according to the Trading Standards Institute.

The TSI ran spot checks on sun creams marketed specifically for infant and child use and discovered that seven out of eight had failed to live up to their sun protection claims.

Now the TSI is urging the Government to bring in tighter controls as it is concerned that parents could be unknowingly exposing their children to the harmful effects of sun damage.

Sunscreens carry two values on their labels - UVA protection and a sun protection factor (SPF) relating to UVB protection. They have to comply with laws within the Cosmetics Products (Safety) Regulations 1996. However, these laws do not regulate the claims which can be made on packaging nor do they offer a way of determining how well a product protects against the damaging effects of UVA and UVB.

The TSI is particularly concerned about UVA protection and wants laws enforced that ensure products are tested in approved laboratories.

Ms Judith Johnson, TSI's spokeswoman on sun safety, said, "We are increasingly seeing sunscreen manufacturers focus on higher and higher levels of UVB protection, leading consumers to believe they can stay in the sun longer and so increase their exposure to the most harmful UVA rays."

Ron Gainsford, chief executive of TSI said, "It is a major concern to us that parents could be unwittingly exposing their children to the risk of sun damage thinking they are better protected than they actually are.

"Nobody puts sun cream on themselves or their children because it makes them look better - they do it solely for health reasons and this should be reflected in its testing regime and in the legislation governing it.

"It seems crazy that in the UK and Europe sun creams are afforded the same regulatory status as lipsticks."

The TSI plans to present its recommendations to the Department of Trade and Industry and to European commissioners.

A spokesperson for the Department of Trade and Industry said, "We will consider supporting a voluntary code of practice to facilitate a single method of testing and clearer labelling. We have already discussed sunscreens at European level, and will continue to do so at the next working group meeting in Brussels in July."

Where to next?

• Are you fed up of being ripped off when it comes to your family's safety?Share your feelings in Discuss, Debate and Deliberate
• Find out all you need to know about keeping your baby safe in Child Safety