Supermarket own-brand sun creams, costing as little as £2.39 each, are just as good for your skin than more expensive brands, a new study has found.

Consumer Watchdog Which? put offerings from Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons and Asda to the test, and they performed just as well as brands like Piz Buin and Hawaiian Tropic - which costs almost triple the price.

In total 15 sun creams were tested - both branded and supermarket ones.

Nikki Stopford, Which? director of research and publishing, said: "Our findings show that you don't need to spend a lot of money on sunscreens to get the best protection.

"It's encouraging that the brands we tested appear to have upped their game since we started carrying out our rigorous tests - with all the sunscreens we tested for SPF and UVA passing this year.

"We’ve seen some impressive turnarounds - for example, we tested reformulated products from Boots, Hawaiian Tropic and Malibu and all of them have passed our tests since."

The supermarket brands that came out on top

Lacura SPF30 Moisturising Sun Spray Lacura SPF30 Moisturising Sun Spray, Aldi £2.39

Aldi's Lacura brand has garnered a lot of attraction from the beauty world over the last few years, with its award-winning, limited-edition Caviar Range being one of its most hyped about collections.

This SPF30 Moisturising Sun Spray gives 24 hour moisture, while the UVA and UVB filters offer care and protection from sun rays.

It comes in an easy-to-use spray applicator bottle.

Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 High, Asda £2.30

Asda's offering contains Vitamin E which helps protect against skin cell damage.

It is water-resistant, making it a great choice to use on the beach.

Sun Lotion SPF30 200ml, Morrisons £3

This promises to protect and nourish your skin, as well as being non-greasy and fast absorbing.

Apply liberally to your face and body 15 minutes before sun exposure.

Cien Sun Cream SPF 30, Lidl £2.49

Lidl's Cien range offers a wide collection of sun protection protects, including lots of options for children too.

This SPF 30 is a bargain at less than £2.50, it's a non-greasy, water resistant formula.

Soleil Sun Protect Lotion SPF30 200ml, Tesco £3.50

Tesco's sunscreen is the most expensive out of the supermarket offerings, but it's still a reasonably priced product.

The non-greasy formula should be applied to the body 15 minutes before sun exposure, and then reapplied every 1-2 hours.

The top branded sun creams

Piz Buin Tan and Protect Intensifying Spray, allbeauty.com £7.95

Piz Buin is a Swiss brand which has been selling suncare products for more than 70 years.

Its SPF30 Tan and Protect Intensifying Spray has been specifically designed to help you achieve a sun-kissed glow, while still protecting your skin from the sun's harmful rays.

Hawaiian Tropic Duo Defence SPF30, Superdrug £9

This product includes green tea as one of its ingredients, which the brand believes helps to advance sun protection.

Apply it 20 minutes before sun exposure.

Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF30, Boots £6

It offers "immediate protection from UV rays" and it has an "enhanced UVA/UVB filter system".

Nivea's offering absorbs quickly into the skin, and also includes Vitamin E.


Lloyds Ultra Sensitive Sun Lotion, lloydspharmacy.com £7

Offers protection against UVA, UVB and IR-A rays, as well as helping to prevent the signs of ageing.