Suncream uncovered: 15 things you should know

Sunscreens can be a little bewildering to an Irish person raised on a diet of heavy clouds, rain, and all-too-brief bursts of sunshine, followed, in quick succession, by all-too-painful bouts of sunburn.

What do you buy? Spray, pump action or old-fashioned bottle? How much do you spread and how often do you spread it? How much do you need to spend to make sure you don’t turn a lurid shade of lobster pink the moment the sun breaks out from behind the clouds? How does it work? And where did it come from?

We have all the answers. Well, we have some of the answers.

1. Irish people who grew up in the 1970s when sunscreen was a fanciful notion and sunburn was as common as red lemonade or a sunny day might be surprised to know that it has a long history. The ancient Greeks used olive oil to protect themselves from the worst ravages of the sun while the Pharaohs relied on rice and jasmine extracts.

2. While people in sunny places long desired to be protected from the sun, they had no real idea why it did damage. Up until 200 years ago, the commonly held belief was the heat was the cause of sunburn and it was only in this century that people realised that sunburn in human skin was caused by a specific part of the ultraviolet spectrum s.

3. Synthetic sunscreens started appearing in 1928 and L’Oreal launched its first commercial sunscreen product in the mid 1930s.

4. It started to become mainstream (ish) during the second World War when US troops fighting in the Pacific used a product with the less than alluring name of Red Vet Pet (it stands for red veterinary petrolatum in case you’re wondering) to protect themselves from the sun. It was a red gooey mess and not entirely popular with the troops.

5. In the 50s the ad men of Madison Avenue got their hands on the product and made up all sorts of sophisticated names and started using creations like the Coppertone girl to make it sexier. It worked and sales boomed but even back then it was more about even tanning and less about cancer and protection.

6. SPF (sun protection factor) was the brainchild of Swiss chemist Franz Greiter. He was in the business for more than 30 years before he cottoned on to the whole protection notion. His cream was at the heart of the Piz Buin brand. - it is named after a Swiss mountain where Greiter was badly sunburnt apparently. His first standardised sun cream had an SPF of 2.

7. SPFs have come a long way since them. But people to look beyond SPF ratings when choosing a sunblock. SPF refers to how much protection against UVB radiation - the burning element of the sun - a cream offers. Equally harmful, although not as immediately obvious, is UVA radiation. Generally speaking, a star rating is used to indicate UVA rates: one-star cream offers “minimum” protection while five-star cream provides “ultra” cover.

8. The price you pay is not really an indicator of quality despite what the marketing campaigns and expensively produced packaging on some of the pricier brands tell you. And if you spend more and use it sparingly, it might actually afford you less protection than a cheaper bottle, which you will quite happily slather all over yourself.

9. Repeated studies have shown that most of us apply only 20-50 per cent of the recommended amount of sunscreen so end up getting a lot less protection than we imagine.

10. So how much do you apply? And how? It should be applied thickly and evenly, with an amount about the size of a golf ball in your hand for use over your entire body.

11. It needs to be applied 20 minutes before going out in the sun and then reapplied every two hours.

12. If done properly, a week's supply of a well known suncreams for an average-sized adult will cost in the region of €35 while a week's coverage from a Fancy Dan brand will set you back roughly €90. If, on the other hand, you buy your sunblock in Aldi or Lidl or Tesco, a seven-day supply will cost no more than €15.

13. British consumer group Which? frequently tests sunscreens and has repeatedly found that price is no indication of quality. In a study published earlier this summer, suncreams from the German discounters fared very well while some well-known brands frequently seen in pharmacies and in resort towns (like Bray) did not do so well.

14. Which? has also found that the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) can frequently be overestimated with some sunscreens failing to offer the level of protection claimed on bottles.

15. Typically, an open bottle of sunscreen lasts up to two years - but remember to check the “period after opening” advice on the bottle to be sure - it should say 24m. If it says 12m and you bought it last May you should probably chuck it.

15 1/2. Some people put sun cream on pigs and other animals with fair skin to protect them from the sun. Well, have you tried putting a sun hat on a dog?