Many new sun creams do not offer full protection from harmful rays

According to a new study almost half of all new sun creams do not offer protection against harmful sun rays.

Experts say though most sunscreens protect against UVB rays, which cause the skin to burn, many do not shield against UVA rays, which penetrate deeper into the skin and are responsible for aging.

They say most people need to wear a minimum SPF of 15 and an SPF of 30 in extremely sunny weather as research has shown that both forms of rays can lead to skin cancer.

The market research firm Mintel looked at more than 750 new sun creams marketed across Europe in 2007 and found that fewer than half offered protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

The Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) investigation found that the majority were missing UVA protection and while the UVB level of protection was listed on the bottle, this does not shield against dangerous UVA rays.

Sun creams which also screen wearers from UVA show their level of protection through a star rating system and experts are warning consumers to be careful and ensure that the sun cream they use offers both forms of protection.

Experts say an SPF in sunscreen does not always offer full protection against UV damage - the SPF only shows protection against UVB, which is the type of UV that causes sunburn and skin cancer and for a sunscreen to be as effective as possible, it should really protect against both UVB and UVA rays.

UVA filters are indicated in the UK by stars or a circular UVA symbol and experts recommend that consumers buy a cream with at least four 4 UVA stars or a UVA circle, which also signifies a high level of protection, if they are planning to go out in strong sunshine.