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Is Sun Cream Too Expensive?

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Do you think Sun Cream is too expensive?

1 in 10 people say they don't use it because it's too expensive despite the risk of skin cancer.

Source: melanomafocus.org/news-blog/concerns-that-cost-of-sunscreen-is-increasing-skin-cancer-risk/#:~:text=The%20survey%20showed%20that%201,than%20any%20other%20economic%20group.

SamGoodship
2 weeks ago
What do you think of this?+20 points
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MrsCraig

The branded versions certainly are! I buy my son the Lidl, Aldi or Tesco own one. It is £3.20 or £3.29 for a 200ml bottle of factor 50. I can get 3 bottles for the price of one of the branded bottles.

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eyeballkerry

MrsCraig I purchase Tesco own the other day and they had an offer on it. I also got some spray from Morrison, so much cheaper than Boots and the branded ones. Hopefully will be as good. I used the Piz Biun oil on my last holiday and i got a lovely tan and didn’t burn. It was obviously more expensive.

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MrsCraig

eyeballkerry I've never had any issues with the Tesco one. Never burned when wearing it.

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eyeballkerry

MrsCraig Thanks for that. I have packed a cream and a spray from Tesco. I thought the spray would be easier on the beach and the cream all the other times.

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MrsCraig

eyeballkerry I use both too. The spray is really easy to apply on my son, especially when he is wriggling around.

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Daffodil90

MrsCraig they have the small ones for the bags for £1.35 atm in my local Aldi

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MrsCraig

Daffodil90 oh I will need to have a look. A smaller one for his school bag would be handy.

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telmel

I dont use it myself as i have read articles saying it can cause skin cancer, but if i had a young family i would be battling with my conscience whether to use it or not on them

Plus i am lucky i am not fair skinned and rarely burn

It will stop burning , that is proven , but whether it stops 'some' other harmful rays is debateable

Heres the article i posted previously, to be honest this is a difficult one, some articles say it can, some it can't , a lot of the articles are from trusted sources

But i suspect some could be lobbying in support of the companies that produce suncream for financial gain, it does happen sometimes

www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/exposure-to-chemicals-in-sunscreen

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PhilipMarc

telmel I saw a video of what sunscreen cream does to a light skin person (Europeans and East Asians e.g. Japanese) and it does not look safe.

I'm not the type to go out and get much sun (never cared for), so I'll look into buying sunscreen cream that's nonchemical and nontoxic.

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hky

telmel This is talking about 'chemical' sunscreens, which I also just came across an article talking about the importance of sunscreen and UV rays pass through clouds 80% of the time, as well as, reflecting from snow. It mentions that chemical sunscreen heats the skin and can worsen skin melasma/pigment concerns.

It also mentions sunscreen does not cause cancer/it's a myth, but I agree with your opinion that there's always a possibility that chemicals can cause cancer - you can't really disprove it. Even if it doesn't cause cancer/bad health directly, a combination with other daily life exposure of possible harmful things (plastics/processed foods) can increase cancer chances.

www.medicaldaily.com/skin-cancer-awareness-month-expert-dispels-misconceptions-about-sunscreen-use-471741

There are lots of other articles that mention mineral sunscreen is a better option for sensitive skin etc and chemical sunscreen can clog pores.

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telmel

hky Thanks H, it's so difficult to know if it is harmful or not

Part of the problem is it is endorsed by professionals in and out of the health system and everyone has been using it so long now it is a natural thing for people to apply it when sunbathing , especially to children and to yourself if fair skinned

But there are so many scandals about products and medicines that were used long term then suddenly people are told to stop using them as further research has found them unsafe , you just dont know what to do for the best

But i do agree mineral suncream seems to be the better option

What is a mineral sunscreen?

Is mineral sunscreen better than chemical sunscreen? | MD ...

The main difference between mineral (or physical) sunscreens and chemical sunscreens is how they handle the sun's rays. The active ingredients in mineral sunscreens are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which create a barrier on your skin that reflects UV ligh

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hky

telmel I agree, it's definitely difficult; there's too many ingredients for the average person to really know about. Last yr, I came across a video/article that silicone cookware might not be safe, that it weighs less after heated so it's probably absorbing into food.

I read that chemical sunblockers are also absorbed into the skin. I have an old Morrison's sunscreen that has titanium dioxide - I thought mineral ingredients were what I mostly had to look out for but now I realised it contains a chemical blocker, too (I guess that's why it was cheap).

Chemical sunblocker ingredients include(not limited to): oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, or octinoxate.

I'm not fair skinned but I prefer sunscreen if possible. I think the UK sun nowadays 'burns' more than it used to.

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telmel

hky Thats very true H, mainly due to the depletion of the ozone layer

I believe in Australia it is so bad people are warned to cover up completely on the beach, suncream or no suncream as the UV rays are so powerful

Heres some facts

Is the sun more harsh in Australia?

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in Australia is so intense that on a sunny day, a fair-skinned person can get a sunburn in less than fifteen minutes. Australia's unusually harsh sunshine results mainly from its location in the Southern Hemisphere.Feb 6, 2008

Is the sun stronger in Europe or Australia?

In addition, “During summer, the Earth's orbit brings Australia closer to the sun (as compared to Europe during its summer), resulting in an additional 7% solar UV intensity. Coupled with our clearer atmospheric conditions, this means that Australians are exposed to up to 15% more UV than Europeans

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JLouM

Yes I think it is but we got the one from Aldi which is reasonable.

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Pjran

You get the same protection buying supermarket or drug stores own brands.

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momhobnob666

My son is allergic to most sun creams so i have no choice but to buy the expensive ones

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hky

momhobnob666 What brands do you buy?

I think cheaper options maybe chemical sunscreens. I've been looking around to see if there are any cheaper mineral ones.

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HEDGEHOGS

Different brands can be so much more expensive, probably the same ingredients so I tend to buy when it's on offer or just don't buy branded.

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hky

HEDGEHOGS I think often more expensive branded ones are usually mineral sunscreens that don't contain chemical sunblockers that absorb rather than reflect UV rays. Chemical ingredients are simply not as great/healthy for your skin.

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martinlufc5637

We always wait for good offers, your right though, some brands are expensive

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psd125

I buy Malibu brand. Cheap as chips in alot of the discount shops

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EmmaWright762

Of course it is. As one of the many essentials people consider to be a necessity. Others on the list include nappies, medicine, fuel, housing and food.

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LisaAbley

I think the well known brands are far to expensive to buy,at their prices they are'nt an option for some people,l think supermarkets own do the same thing and are more realistic in price.

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dwtmf9hn78

The branded is definitely far too expensive, supermarkets own brands are not to bad,,

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Daffodil90

I always buy Aldi one as use to buy some branded ones but after watching program few years back some weren't giving the coverage they claimed to be able to give on the skin

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Ricky6981

100% YES. not only is it overpriced, they have better deals on the 200ml bottles than the 100ml or smaller bottles.

For example, 200ml is £9.99 and the 100ml bottle is £7.99. How does that make sense.

And ive always wanted to take the 100ml bottle so it's compliant with airport rules.

People say buy it from the airport in Boots but it's either sold out or at full price. If Boots have an offer on your local high street, it will never be on offer in the airport.

Either way, you're gonna get robbed somehow

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AlisonDesforges

Branded sunscreen are very expensive

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TheChimp

The suncream companies have to find money from somewhere to buy bunny rabbits and employ scientists to test their products.. Sad, but true

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JLouM

I just bought Solail face suncream from Superdrug for £3.99.

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Mango4

Like others have said the branded versions can be, but own brand versions are usually considerably cheaper, we've always found the Asda own brand to be pretty good , and others have told us the Aldi one is also good. Always best to stock up if your going on holiday thou as most holiday resorts are just a total rip off for such products.

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DeBunny

Yes and No.

Yes they can be pricey, but not all of us (me included) use it properly or enough.

If it helps protect your skin from ageing, helps prevents cancers, burns etc. Can you really put a price on that? If it was a prescription medication it would be nearly £10 so a bottle half that price and will last you some time, isn't actually that pricey at all. It might even save some people hundreds in overpriced skincare products if you look after your skin in the first place.

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