We’ve recently returned from a lovely week long holiday skiing in the Alps and one thing that is often missed out of the luggage is sun cream. Wait, what? You need sun cream in the snow?
Just because you’re not off to the white beaches of the Caribbean, or that family trip to sunny Spain, the family’s skin protection from UV rays is no less important. In fact, it’s even more important because you won’t even feel like you’re catching the sun, or the wind when it comes to a skiing holiday.
Whether you’re the one going down the slopes, whether it’s the children who are at ski school, or whether you’re just out taking the kids for a sled down the hill and a bit of exploring, sun cream is paramount.
Childs Farm have recently launched their new sun care range which offers the right balance between getting a good dose of Vitamin D from the sun and protecting young skin from its harmful rays. It does this and is still remains suitable for sensitive and eczema prone skin. I was a quite concerned that the range had only received a 3/5 stars for UVA and I raised this with Childs Farm. Here is their response, just in case you had any similar concerns.
“The ranking system is the unofficial Boots system for UVA stars. It goes from 1-5 stars, 1 being the lowest.
This system was introduced by Boots and describes the ratio of UVA to UVB protection. It is an in-vitro test (test tube) Clearly the Childs Farm SPF 50+ has an extremely high SPF which of course covers UVB and has been proven both in-vitro and in-vivo (on real people).
For the UVA we have recorded a 3 star rating according to the Boots system. The questions this raised though was directly opposed to the positioning Childs Farm has in the market. It is quite well documented that the chemical filters (such as the Avobenzone) can cause irritancy. But this is really the only globally approved ingredient that will boost UVA rating to 5 stars (according to the Boots system).
The current formulation uses only physical filters (titanium dioxide) which are very low in potential irritancy and contribute to the product having an excellent dermatological profit, and our eczema and sensitivity claims are the essence of our brand.
We made a decision that our claims – sensitive and eczema – were more important than an in-store ranking, and are utterly confident in the product and its ability to do its job. It was on that basis that we decided to accept the lower star ranking in favour of sticking to our brand ethos.
The current formulation is a very high protection (SPF 50+) product that is extremely skin friendly. It has an excellent spreading profile and still recorded 3 stars for UVA. This is good, and in no way affects the SPF which is in fact 67, so extremely high.”
After reading that, I felt a whole lot better and much more confident about using Childs Farm sun care range. And the best bit is, even if your skin does get a little affected, they have an after sun which smells like coconuts, which is gorgeous!
You don’t really need to use a lot of either cream, but I always apply liberally just in case! Better to be safe than sorry, right? It’s not oily, rubs in really well and there’s no sticky residue like you get with some creams. If you do get that white beach holiday, it is water resistant and has an SPF of 50+. It is however only suitable for those ages 6 months+, which is a shame if you’ve got a smaller baby, but it just means taking extra precautions. I’d apply a good 30 minutes before you go out, although you don’t have to, but it’s just for my peace of mind that it’s getting to work, and I’d even apply it under a sun suit, as well as popping on a hat (I sound like a right mother hen now!).
The sun cream is quite pricey for a 100ml bottle/tube at £10.99, but it really is worth it if the kids have sensitive skin or eczema, just so they don’t have another irritation or flare up. The after sun retails at £4.99 but I’d pay that just for the smell! Overall, I found this a really lovely addition to the Childs Farm range.
*I was offered these products in return for my honest views and opinions.
Expensive and both my girls have burnt while using it is this supposed to protect