The ￡19 game-changing SPF 'water' you should buy this summer

In case you’ve been hiding under a large parasol the past few days, let me fill you in: this week is Sun Awareness Week, an annual campaign organised by the British Association of Dermatologists to highlight the need to be safe in the sun. A survey by the organisation has identified that “more than 1 in 3 (35%) of Brits have been sunburnt in the last year while in the UK and of those 28% were sunburnt three or more times”. If you are out in the sun, you should be using some form of sun protection - you don’t need me to tell you that. But I think there’s a lot to be said for simply staying in the shade, not exposing yourself in direct sunlight and wearing a large hat in sunny climates.

If you find SPF figures confusing, here’s a quick breakdown: SPF stands for ‘sun protection factor’, although the SPF is more accurately the sun burn protection factor, as SPF only tells us about protection against burning UVB rays, but says nothing about UVA protection (the wavelength that prematurely ages the skin).

“The SPF number essentially represents how many more times skin will be able to stay the sun before it burns,” says the dermatologist Dr Stefanie Williams, “so if you can typically stay in the sun for 10 minutes before burning, by using a SPF15 that protects you for 150 minutes.” Fair skin will normally burn after ten minutes, with darker skin around the 20 minutes mark. For UVA, most products have a star rating - the higher the rating, the better the UVA protection.

Best self-tans for a natural-looking sun kissed glow

Ratings aside, if there was ever a sector of the beauty industry that needed some innovation in terms of product usability, it’s suncare. For something that is insisted on for daily wear for any inch of exposed skin (which I must admit I don’t do or have never done), it’s often off-putting to use - they typically leave a thick film of product on the skin. Thankfully there’s been new innovation this year, and new launches that hydrate and nourish the skin whilst still protecting it from sun damage.

The SPF I couldn’t stop using on my recent holiday was Vichy’s new Ideal Soleil Hydrating SPF30 Protective Solar Water (￡19). This is as far from a traditional sun cream as you can get. The light oily water (which you have to shake to activate, like those bi-phase cleansers) is dispensed as a smart mist, which you can use on the face and body. The oil contains broad-spectrum UVA and UVB filters (the filters absorb UV rays to keep the skin protected in direct sunlight) and vitamin E to nourish the skin. The water is made up from the mineral waters from Vichy’s own springs, and hyaluronic acid (the hydrating beauty wonder ingredient). I used it for a week in Greece, reapplying several times a day, and it felt more like a luxury body oil - without the greasiness.

Another good launch is the Protect & Tan SPF 15 Tanning Oil by Bondi Sands (￡15). The sheer mention of the phrase ‘tanning oil’ is enough to make an anti-sunbather like me cringe, however it’s a best-seller in the brand’s native Australia and having just launched in the UK, I thought I’d give it a shot. It’s a lovely product to use, a dry, nourishing oil that contains UV filters as well as a small amount of DHA to gradually tan the skin. It’s a clever product but you’d need to reapply it quite often to actually get the benefits of the sun protection. Or better still, stay hidden under that large parasol.

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