Our technical manager, Fozia Ali, explains some of the testing procedures that Asda's sun cream goes through

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and it indicates the level of protection a sun cream will give to your skin against UVB rays (burning rays). It is important to remember that UVB rays can never be 100% filtered, even SPF 50 sun creams block only 98% of UVB rays, so it’s vital to reapply your sun cream every 2 hours to give yourselves maximum protection.

At Asda, we take the safety of all sun creams extremely seriously as we know how important it is for our customers. That’s why we work with a leading sun cream manufacturer who are experts in sun cream production. All our formulations are developed by experienced and accredited chemists, who use carefully selected UV filter combinations that they know produce valid and robust SPF results.

Ensuring the efficacy of sun protection is also paramount for us at Asda and all our sun cream products undergo rigorous SPF testing. This testing is conducted by a leading independent external institute using internationally recognized test methods, to ensure that the labelled SPF values are accurate and reliable.

During the test, the skin treated with the sunscreen containing UV filters is compared to untreated skin. The sunscreen-protected skin turns red only after exposure to a higher dose of UV light than the untreated skin. The declared SPF value of the sunscreen is then calculated based on these observations, reflecting how much additional protection the product offers.

Through this meticulous process, we ensure that our sun cream products provide the level of protection promised on our labels, offering customers reliable and effective sun protection.

All of Asda’s sun cream products have 5 star UVA protection - the highest rating available. This rating indicates the percentage of UVA radiation that’s absorbed by that particular sun protection, compared to UVB. The higher the star rating, the better the protection against UVA rays.

Asda sun protection products also comply fully with strict EU/UK cosmetic laws which have been put in place to ensure that only the safest products are placed on the market.

In addition to the testing we carry out, all of the relevant documentation we have to submit for all our sun creams has been assessed and verified by an independent institute and a leading skin health accreditation body.

Our top tip for the summer: it is reported that most people do not apply enough sun cream. If sun cream is applied too thinly, it reduces the level of protection you get. If in doubt, apply more, not less.

We have robust processes in place to ensure all our products meet the very high standards that we set. If you have any feedback you wish to share our products, please contact our customer service team on 0800 9520101.