Brits need more education on sun care as study reveals sun burn worries

These were some of the worrying findings from ingredient supplier Croda’s most recent survey on sun care attitudes in the UK suggesting that more education is needed to make consumers aware of good practices.

The company’s sun care brand, Solaveil, carried out research in the UK, revealing that messages surrounding sun care and the risks of skin cancer are being lost amongst the young, whilst forgetful Britons are often ‘caught out’ by weather in the UK.

“Our research clearly shows strong gender and age divides when it comes to sun care, and with the rising popularity of the ‘staycation’ we’re keen to help consumers understand their sunscreen as much as possible,”​ says Helene Hine, Marketing Manager for Solaveil.

Solaveil’s study aimed to gauge Britons’ attitudes towards the sun and says it noticed a strong ‘macho’ culture emerging which was putting many men at risk of skin burning and damage, as in the poll of 1,000 UK adults, nearly half of all men surveyed confessed to getting sun burn at a sporting or music festival in the UK, with 15% believing they never had to wear sun cream in the UK anyway.

Sun care campaign​

Croda’s research came off the back of a recent survey by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society which highlighted that a quarter of British adults have no idea what the labels on their sunscreen mean​ and thus what protection they are offering.

As a result, one fifth of 18 – 24 year olds say they would never wear sunscreen in the UK.

This led to Croda’s research and its latest campaign has launched a new infographic to shine a light on UV radiation and sunscreen labelling.

“Our new infographic has been especially designed to tackle some of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of sunscreen labels and help put these in context of sunlight and its impact on the skin,”​ explains Hine.

You can see the infographic below: