Summer Sizzlers including £3 sun cream, cheap fans & £2 disposable BBQs

In bright weather even in the UK you should be wearing sun cream. Staying safe needn’t cost the earth though. If you’re willing to ditch the brands you know, you could downshift and save with sun cream from £2.79 without giving up five star UVA protection.

It sounds too good to be true, yet we've found a number of products available for around £3-6 rather than the usual £6-£12 branded products will set you back. We've contacted skincare experts to find out how safe the lotions are. You can find the cheap sun cream below, after the important safety info.

We've been in touch with the British Skin Foundation (BSF) charity and the Cosmetic Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA) trade body. Both say people shouldn't be put off by low prices, as long as they check packaging for the UVA and SPF number.

You might be a bit sceptical about cheaper sun cream, we always are too, but we’re trusting that these big companies have done their own independent checks to ensure these sun creams are fully tested and are legit.

Important. As with any product, if you have sensitive skin it’s important to do a patch test before using any new skin care or hair care product and sun cream is no exception.

Note: Some sun creams can contain chemicals that hurt coral reefs and a few island countries ban them, so if you want to protect the environment and avoid them, watch out for ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate. You can see the full list of 10 chemicals on the International Coral Reef Initiative's website.

Most of the cheap sun creams we found are good to use for at least 12 months from the date of opening, so don't throw away your excess sun cream, check the PAO as it's likely you can use it again the next time you need it.

At MSE we're always trying to get you to think about downshifting, so we've had a look for the cheapest own-branded sun creams on offer, all under a fiver. 

Other low-cost branded sun creams

In previous years, we've spotted Poundland and Savers selling suncreams for £1. We've not spotted them yet this year, but have left them here for reference in case you're near one and can check your local store's stock.

It's worth noting these bottles were slightly smaller (40ml-120ml) than some of the better-known brands (norm 200ml). They may not be brands that you recognise, but all had the UVA rating symbol to indicate they meet at least the minimum level of UVA protection.