Survey finds 54% of people believe SPF products are too expensive

A new survey has found that over half of respondents (54%) believe that SPF is too expensive, and 60% of them are influenced by the price of the SPF product when purchasing it, and not by the quality and ingredients.

The study, carried out by tanning brand TanOrganic, also found that while most people apply SPF daily, some 40% of respondents do not reapply it throughout the day even thought it is recommended that SPF is reapplied every two hours, particularly when swimming or sweating.

Just 18% of respondents said they consider the UV index when applying SPF, as most are influenced by sunny weather in their decision.

A further 59% didn’t know the difference between mineral and chemical SPF – mineral acts as a barrier and reflects the UV rays away from the skin, while chemical SPF absorbs UV rays and converts them into heat, which is then released by the body.

Only 3% of people said they were unconcerned about getting skin cancer, while 30% of people admitted that they are ‘not sure’ of the early signs of skin cancer.

TanOrganic founder Noelle O’Connor has joined healthcare professionals Kelsey O’Donnell and Professor Shirley Potter to campaign for a change in how SPF  is taxed in Ireland. O’Donnell is a skin cancer clinical nurse specialist at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, and Professor Potter is a consultant plastic surgeon and melanoma specialist at Blackrock Clinic in Dublin. The group is asking people to sign an online petition, which they will present to the Dáil Éireann Health Committee.

“I believe SPF should classed as an essential product and should be VAT-exempt,” said O’Connor. “At the moment, renal transport patients are the only cohort that can get SPF on a medical card, so the removal of VAT on SPF would be a major step for the Government to take in encouraging the use of SPF in our country.”

“Skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet it’s still one of the most common, and 90% of skin cancers are caused by UV-emitted sources,” said O’Donnell. “Even if you only spend a few minutes in the sun without protection, you’re still at risk. I cannot stress enough the importance of skin safety measures using a quality SPF 50 every day, regardless of cloud or sun. SPF is not a luxury and should be affordable for everyone. I urge everyone to sign the petition to call upon the Government to remove VAT on SPF.”