Superdrug is cutting the price of its own-brand sun care range Solait by 20%, recognising the category as “a healthcare essential and not a beauty product”.
The UK health and beauty retailer’s reduction on 41 sun products comes into effect on 31 May and will be frozen until the end of the year.
The announcement by the high street beauty giant comes after months of rising pressure on the UK government to remove the Value Added Tax (VAT) on sun care.
Skin charities such as Melanoma Focus want the VAT removed from this “vital product” to make it more accessible for those who cannot afford it.
One in ten people across the UK do not wear sunscreen because it is too expensive, reported Melanoma Focus.
People on the very lowest incomes are also less likely to wear sunscreen than any other economic group.
Superdrug has cut the price on 41 Solait sun products
Jamie Archer, Superdrug’s Own Brand Director, commented: “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 Beauty Banks we know that requests for donations of sun care 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.”
Superdrug’s hero product Solait Sun Cream SPF50 in 200ml will be reduced to £3.59 (previously £4.99) and the Solait kid’s roll-on sun cream SPF50+ in 75ml will be discounted from £3.49 to £2.79.
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said: “Anything we can do to make sunscreen more accessible and affordable will cut the overall incidence of skin cancer and could help save lives.
“This move by Superdrug is a big step in the right direction and a brilliant start to our mission to have VAT removed from all high-factor sun screens across the UK."