New report reveals 45% of UK do not apply SPF daily

Online retailer Face the Future has shared that more of the UK prioritise moisturiser (32%) over the use of suncream (23%) as the most important step in their skincare routine.

According to a new report, which forms part of Face the Future’s ongoing '365 Days of SPF' campaign, only 55% are aware that UVA rays are the leading cause of premature skin ageing.

However, awareness is slowly evolving with 55% of the UK applying SPF daily, in comparison to only 22% in 2024.

It comes as 69% say their opinion on sun protection has become more important than when they were younger, with 70% also believing that VAT should be removed from SPF products.

Most of the UK learn about sun protection from family (25%) and friends (20%) over GPs (14%). Meanwhile, consumers also learn more about SPF from beauty brands (17%) and retailers (13%) over social media platforms such as TikTok (8%).

The report notes that the best way to encourage daily use of sun protection is through SPF included in makeup/skincare products.

Julia Barcoe Thompson, Director at Face the Future, said: "We believe that everyone in the UK has the right to sun safety and skin health education. Skin cancer and premature ageing that are caused by UV rays can be prevented if action is taken in."

To further support consumers, also part of its 365 Days of SPF campaign, Face the Future has cut the VAT on all SPF products. This covers a variety of brands, including Hello Sunday, La Roche-Posay, Heliocare and Ultrasun, amongst others.

"We have SPF and suncare products at all price points, to ensure that we remain accessible to everyone.We hope that this additional 20% saving will encourage UK consumers to begin or continue their SPF journey," added Barcoe Thompson.

Alongside Face the Future, melanoma cancer survivor Jessica Zbinden-Webster is also advocating for the general removal of the 20% SPF VAT on products in the UK.

Speaking to Face the Future about the importance of removing SPF VAT, she said: "It's about stopping lives from needlessly being disrupted or shortened by skin cancer, it's about empowering consumers to take better control of their sun safety and skin cancer prevention, but it’s also about ensuring the longevity of the NHS, because it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds per year to treat skin cancer in this country, and with skin cancer rates rocketing, that status quo is utterly unsustainable."