Superdrug is reducing the price of its own brand suncare range Solait by 20%. The announcement comes after months of rising pressure on the government to remove the VAT on suncare products, with calls for category to be deemed a healthcare essential and not a beauty product.
The reduction will come into effect across 41 products from tomorrow and remain in place until the end of the year, helping people have access to affordable sun protection amid the cost of living crisis.
Superdrug’s Own Brand Director, Jamie Archer, said: “As a leading accessible health and beauty retailer, we believe that everyone should have access to the products that protect their health and wellbeing and at an affordable price. Sunscreen is currently classed as a cosmetic product and therefore carries the VAT associated with it, making it unaffordable for some people.
“Through our work with Beauty Banks we know that requests for donations of sun care products has gone up, with some people even having to forego it altogether, which is concerning to hear. We hope that by reducing the price of our Solait range we can help make sun protection more affordable and allow families to stay safe in the sun.”
Charity Melanoma Focus is calling on the Government to remove the VAT for high-factor sunscreens to reduce the cost of product for the general population, making it more accessible to those who cannot afford it.
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said: “We’re delighted to hear that Superdrug plans to remove the 20% VAT cost for customers from their own brand sunscreen range. Skin cancer, particularly melanoma skin cancer, is an extremely serious and growing issue. It is now the 5th most common cancer in the UK killing around 2,300 people each year. 86% of melanomas are preventable and therefore, wearing a high SPF sunscreen is a hugely important safety measure for protecting against it.
“Anything we can do to make sunscreen more accessible and affordable will cut the overall incidence of skin cancer and could help save lives. This move by Superdrug is a big step in the right direction and a brilliant start to our mission to have VAT removed from all high-factor sunscreens across the UK.”
