Olay heads to UK shopping centres for sun safety pop-up

Olay is touring the UK next month with the Olay Solarium, an interactive pop-up designed to highlight the effects of everyday UV exposure and showcase the brand's new SPF50+ moisturising fluids.

While UV exposure is a major contributor to visible signs of skin ageing, research commissioned by Olay found that many UK adults associate SPF use with holidays or trips to the beach, rather than with everyday activities such as commuting, running errands or spending time outdoors.

Responding to this, the Olay Solarium will visit Manchester Trafford Centre (3-5 July), Westfield London (10-12 July) and Bluewater Shopping Centre (17-19 July), giving shoppers the opportunity to learn more about UV exposure through a series of interactive experiences.

Visitors can take part in gamified giveaways, including a spin-to-win activity, receive a personalised skin analysis, and view their skin using a UV camera to explore the effects of UV exposure.

Guests will also have the opportunity to speak with skincare experts about choosing and applying sun protection, as well as watch live demonstrations showing how the brand's SPF50+ moisturising fluids are applied and work on the skin.

The pop-up follows the release of a new parliamentary report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty, Hair & Wellbeing, which highlights statistics on skin cancer prevention and rising melanoma cases in the UK.

Titled A Preventable Crisis: The Case for a National UV Safety Strategy, the report is based on a year-long inquiry into the impacts of UV exposure and argues that the UK lacks a coordinated strategy to address UV-related harm.

The inquiry was launched in May 2025 and is chaired by MP Carolyn Harris. Since then, it has gathered evidence from healthcare professionals, academics, manufacturers, industry representatives and people with lived experience.

According to the report, 86% of melanoma skin cancer cases and 90% of non-melanoma skin cancers are considered preventable. It also projects that melanoma cases could rise by 9% by 2038, with more than seven people currently dying from melanoma every day in the UK.