Which sun cream for cycling?

[vorsprung]

P20 or Ultrasun

Used both, both good

[1gear]

Nivea for me. I use factor 20 till im used to the sun more then just dont bother, except for my nose. I have to watch that or it goes very red.
I used to ride alot in the middle of the day though and over the last couple of years spent hours on my bike in the sun. Not done as much this year so ill have to be more careful.
The Nivea stuff will last me a long club ride aswell. They have some new lighter stuff which i didnt really notice much of a difference.

[Rhys W]

hatler, it does, iirc they do a p20, p40 etc etc.

I've only ever seen P10 or P20.

[kevinp]

Yesterday I used Soltan (boots) extreme factor 40 and it seems to work very well I have tanned slightly but no redness at all. The only places where I am slightly burnt is where I missed ....and the back of my legs, not the fronts just the backs

[Regulator]

I used to use P20 when I was diving.

These days I tend to use Boots Soltan.  Excellent range of stuff at reasonable prices.

[Polar Bear]

Yesterday I used Soltan (boots) extreme factor 40 and it seems to work very well I have tanned slightly but no redness at all. The only places where I am slightly burnt is where I missed ....and the back of my legs, not the fronts just the backs

Unfortunately this worries me.     

As I simply don't tan, I burn very very easily, for you to have tanned slightly would be for me to have burned.   I cannot quantify your slightly, how easily you burn or tan in comparison to how I burn.  However, if on a day like yesterday I went outside unprotected, I would be significantly burned in fifteen minutes.

[hatler]

hatler, it does, iirc they do a p20, p40 etc etc.

i personally use some we bought in aus, sold by the cancer foundation, in a handy little bottle with a caribiner clip, ideal for clipping to a backpack.

Thank you !

I've only ever seen P20. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

[L CC]

P20. Without it I will burn baby burn. I don't tan easily having skin that belongs with ginger hair. That photo of my back after the 7AX was with nivea kids factor 30 spray on. This weekend- only burnt on the bits I missed. Also, creams are sticky and greasy and make me feel unclean.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Boots ?Soltan kids spf40, comes in a squidgy pouch, good consistency for spreading.

Used the last of mine on the kids when away with class trip. Including the girl who said "I don't need any because black people don't get sunburn."

My reply was "Yes they do, it just doesn't show up. The sun still dries out and ages your skin", as I splodged some on her nose.

I know her mum; she always wears a sunhat when it is bright and sunny!

[vorsprung]

hatler, it does, iirc they do a p20, p40 etc etc.

i personally use some we bought in aus, sold by the cancer foundation, in a handy little bottle with a caribiner clip, ideal for clipping to a backpack.

Ultrasun ( which is similar to p20 but a different brand ) seem to now do a factor 50 product.  I've not tried it

[Jaded]

Used the last of mine on the kids when away with class trip. Including the girl who said "I don't need any because black people don't get sunburn."

A black guy working for me was very proud when he came back of his quite visible watch shadow after a holiday.

[ian]

Inspired by this thread.

Banana Boat have unhelpfully switched to spray on, or should that be spray in hope, waste loads and still miss bits!     I need a suitable, practical replacement.

The Banana Boat factor 50 spray is actually quite good - it's quite wet and coats well and evenly, better than a cream imho. I used it all last summer and I can typically spend a good 10 hours plus out in the sun. Sweat-proof too, so I didn't need to reapply. No sunburn at all.

[Polar Bear]

Unfortunately my experience using it has been somewhat less successful.  Hence the search for a cream.   

Where I manage to spray it works well: when I miss, which by experience is regularly at least one 'spot' per day, I tend to get a very burnt and painful patch of skin very quickly indeed.   To compensate I found that I was using excessive amounts to try and guarantee coverage.   It's not easy to apply with absolute confidence to oneself and it has become prohibitively expensive trying!   

I never had this problem using a cream.   

[Bledlow]

Bog standard Boots Soltan. Slap a coat on before leaving the house, & carry one of their handy little sachets (maybe the sweat resistant stuff) for topping up as required.

Relatively cheap, works well, smell is tolerable.

[The Mechanic]

I usually use Piz Buin all day stuff.  I think is it SPF30.  However, recently it has been giving me a rash.  Not sure if this is caused by the stuff or just a sweat rash.  If I don't put something on I burn in no time.  I used the Piz Buin stuff on the Etape a couple of years ago when the temp in Pau at the finish was 37 degrees C and I was completely free of sunburn. 

[Polar Bear]

Ah, if Soltan is the Boots stuff in a yellow bottle I'm afraid i have found from previous experience that it doesn't work for me.   

The problem with most creams is that they are not actually blocks, simply screens.   I need a block.

Uvistat spf 50 is looking like the best bet at the moment.

[mrcharly-YHT]

In tests run by Which, Boots Soltan underperformed.

However, Boots Kids Soltan exceeded claims.

[Polar Bear]

I've just received a recommendation for Nivea Kids spf 50.  I might give that a try as well.  Odourless, kind to sensitive skin, and water resistant.   

[Butterfly]

I've just received a recommendation for Nivea Kids spf 50.  I might give that a try as well.  Odourless, kind to sensitive skin, and water resistant.   

That's what I use on my charges, one of whom has excema and very sensitive skin. It seems to do what it says .

[Polar Bear]

A very strong recommendation indeed.  Thank you.    

[Oaky]

If I use any, it tends to be the Nivea kids SPF50 stuff.  Seems to work pretty well for me.

[CrinklyLion]

Well, on the basis of this thread I have bought some of the nivea factor 50 stuff today, but also got some simple factor 50 whilst I was there because it looks reasonable sun-blocky-ness-wise, claims to be suitable for sensitive skin, felt OK and smelt reasonable - a rare combination, I find.  Will have to wait and see if either of them beings me out in a rash!

BTW, PolarBear, they had bottles of banana boat factor 30 kids lotion in Superdrug - the not spray stuff.  I think they had factor 50 too, but by that point I was getting to the 'it's all blurring together' stage of bottle reading and had to run away.

And all the brands were on BOGOF everywhere.  As per usual!

[teethgrinder]

Tesco were selling Loreal Solar Expertise sun cream half price at the end of last summer, so I bought two tubes. (Because I'm worth it, obviously)
It's factor 50+
I used it on my arms and legs (then on Sunday, I even managed to remember to put some on my neck and nose ) this weekend. No sunburn at all. I used a hat for my head. That was on a 600k Audax with about 30 hours in the sun and a lot of sweating.

When in Arizona and Death Valley I used bog standard factor 40 ish. It was no good on the face because I sweated it off, but for my arms and legs etc it worked. A few hours of Arizona sun can do a lot of damage without any sun block, which I found out. Going without would have probably been very dangerous.

[djmc]

I'm not particularly sensitive to sun but my skin is sensitive to chemical sunscreens I come up in lumps with PABA and anything described as methyl...cinnamate. I find I have to read the labels before I buy. I normally get the sort which is mostly either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. I have used zinc oxide and even sudocrem quite successfully. It needs to be rubbed in and even so can appear white on the skin. Last week I was in Mallorca. I used the Clarins stuff designed for children. I was most impressed. I hardly changed colour at all.