Making Sense of Suncare

But what if you're already burned?
Sunburn can lead to skin becoming red and painful, with symptoms at their worst between six and 48 hours after exposure to the sun. According to Thorton & Ross, makers of AfterBurn Sunburn Rescue Gel, nine out of 10 people have experienced painful sunburn.

Lavender has long been used for its burn-soothing properties, and Tisserand aromatherapist Karl Watson recommends organic lavender as a post-sun soother. He says: "Lavender and peppermint essential oils will help remove the heat of sunburn, and lavender oil also makes a perfect after-sun bath. Mix five drops of lavender essential oil, one of chamomile and four of mandarin with 10ml of sweet almond oil, add to a bath and soak for 20 minutes."

And what about children?
We get around 80 percent of our exposure to the sun before the age of 18 years, according to Ego Pharmaceuticals, makers of Sunsense Sunscreens, so it is vital that parents know how to protect children properly. Very small children should avoid exposure to the sun entirely, while toddlers can be exposed as long as they are covered up with a hat, T-shirt and adequate sun protection.

Skincare brand Simple, which developed its Sun Sensitive Protecting Suncare range with children in mind, advises that younger skin is much more sensitive to sun damage as it has yet to build up its own natural defenses to protect itself.

Teaching children safe sun habits sets a good pattern for later life and reduces their risk of developing skin cancer in the future.

According to suncare products manufacturer Lavera, choosing the right suncare products should be about to get easier, thanks to a collaboration between The European Commission and Colipa (a European Trade Association representing the cosmetic industry) to improve the labeling of sun protection products, following EU Commission recommendations to create greater safety and transparency for consumers.

As a result, sunscreens are being labeled to show how effectively they prevent sunburn and protect against UV rays, and the UV rating system, labeling criteria and methods for measuring protection have changed, with the simplification of SPF categories and the labeling of minimum UVA efficacy, depicted by a symbol with the letters "UVA" in a circle.

The new classification for SPFs is:

• Basic/low = 6 and 10
• Medium = 15, 20 and 25
• High = 30 and 50
• Very high = 50+

In addition, descriptions such as "sun block" and "100 percent protection" will no longer be permitted.

However, consumer review body Which? has called for Colipa to review its guidelines on sunscreen testing, following its annual sunscreen test. Colipa's guidelines allow tests to be carried out in different ways, meaning that one sunscreen could be found to have different SPFs depending on the test method used. As an example, four sunscreens labeled SPF15 were found to offer lower protection when tested by Which?. It is also worth remembering that Colipa's new sunscreen labeling scheme is voluntary, so consumers should continue to be advised to read carefully all product labels -- certainly until 2010 when all manufacturers are expected to have adopted the new labeling recommendations.