THE WHAT? Superdrug has announced that it has reduced the price of its private label sun care range, Solait, by 20 percent and freezing prices until the end of the year.

THE DETAILS Some 41 products will be included in the AS Watson-owned pharmacy chain’s drive to make sun protection affordable for all.

“It’s unthinkable that a child’s short-term and long-term health is at risk because their family can’t afford sun protection,” said Beauty Banks Founder, Jo Jones. “This move by Superdrug is a great one and we hope other retailers follow their example.”

THE WHY? The move is part of a wider bid to convince the government to reclassify sun care as health care, its current status as a cosmetic product means it is subject to value-added tax (VAT) at 20 percent.

Superdrug’s Own Brand Director, Jamie Archer, explains, “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.”