Superdrug has reduced the price of its own-brand suncare Solait by 20% as it “recognises sun protection as a healthcare essential and not a beauty product”. 

Superdrug-index-image

Superdrug is slashing the price of its own-brand suncare 

The discount will be valid on 41 products across the range and will come into effect from May 31 until the end of the year.

Suncare can be purchased for as little as £2.75, with the discount “ensuring that families have access to affordable sun protection amid the cost-of-living crisis,” said the retailer.

Superdrug’s own-brand director Jamie Archer said: “As a leading accessible health and beauty retailer, we believe that everyone should have access to the products that protect their health and wellbeing, and at an affordable price.  

“Sunscreen is currently classed as a cosmetic product and therefore carries the VAT associated with it, making it unaffordable for some people.

“Through our work with [charity] Beauty Banks, we know that requests for donations of suncare products have gone up, with some people even having to forego it altogether, which is concerning to hear.   

“We hope that by reducing the price of our Solait range we can help make sun protection more affordable and allow families to stay safe in the sun.”

The move comes after Melanoma Focus urged the government to remove VAT on sunscreens after a UK-wide survey by the charity found that one in 10 people across the UK do not wear it because it is too expensive.

People on the very lowest incomes were found to be less likely to wear sunscreen than any other economic group.