Good quality sunscreen
should be our first line of defence against the harmful effects of sun exposure
and skin cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, malignant melanoma is the
fifth most common cancer in the UK, with on average 40 new cases being
diagnosed every day.
While there are some
excellent products available, not everyone has access to them and not everyone
can afford them, a truth leading dermatologist Dr Andrew Birnie and Dutch
economist David Westerbeek find incongruous:
“Deciding whether or not to
wear sunscreen, or how much or how often to apply it, should not be based on
cost. Everyone should have a basic right to take the necessary precautions to
reduce their risks of developing skin cancer. Whilst there are some excellent
products available […], most are so expensive that people are reluctant to use
them as often, or in as large a quantity as they should,” says skin cancer
specialist Dr. Birnie.
And so they tasked
themselves with creating a sunscreen that was both high quality and affordable,
enabling consumers to protect themselves properly without breaking the bank.
From £2.00 per 100ml,
Altruist Dermatologist Sunscreen does just that: it affords effective sun
protection at an affordable price.
There are two strengths to
choose from, SPF30 and SPF50, as well as a family-size litre bottle of SPF30.
Priced competitively the SPF30 bottle costs £4.00 for 200ml (sold in packs of
two) or £14.00 for a litre pump bottle. The newer SPF50 costs £3.75 for 100ml
and fits perfectly in your handbag or cabin luggage.
An altruistic
venture
Dr Andrew Birnie and David
Westerbeek met during their stay in South Africa. Staggered by the lack of
education and affordability of a product they considered to be a simple basic
need, they developed Altruist, a high quality sun protection cream that costs
as little as a fancy coffee. Unlike a fancy coffee there is no elaborate
packaging and no celebrity-fronted marketing campaign – there is barely any
profit. What profit there is goes straight back into product development and
manufacture, and proceeds from the sale of every bottle of Altruist go to Under
the Same Sun and children in Africa suffering from albinism.
Regular
application is key
Dr Birnie couldn’t be
clearer on this point: regular application and reapplication of sunscreen is
crucial; it should be reapplied every two hours, after swimming or after
playing sport in the sun. You should be aiming for a teaspoon of cream for your
face and a whole shot glass full for your body, something that still happens
too little in practice. Traditionally, high-quality sunscreen has only been
sold in small-quantity tubes or bottles. Now with the introduction of
Altruist’s larger 1-litre pump bottle, a consumer first in the UK and EU,
sunscreen has never been more affordable or accessible to sports clubs,
schools, day care, construction sites and other groups who spend a considerable
amount of time outdoors. Regular dermatologist recommended sunscreens sell for
close to £15 per 200ml. Altruist sells its 1-litre pack size on Amazon for less
than this.
The science behind the
product is equally as convincing. Both SPF30 and SPF50 strengths are
recommended by dermatologists, not least because they use the most
sophisticated filters available. Micronised titanium dioxide offers UVA
protection beyond EU standards and Tinosorb A2B, one of the most modern sun
protection ingredients developed to date, offers protection beyond the usual UV
spectrum*. Altruist is also highly photo-stable, which means its UV filters do
not degrade easily in the sun; it’s suitable for sensitive skins, is fragrance
and paraben-free, hypoallergenic and non pore blocking. It also feels great on.
Its non-sticky formula means it absorbs quickly and being water-resistant, it
stays put.
Altruist Dermatologist
Sunscreen is dispatched exclusively from Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk)
and for every 1-litre package of sunscreen sold, Altruist donates 50p to Under
the Same Sun.
* In vitro-testing exceeded
EU COLIPA recommendations for UVA protection
Under the Same Sun
Altruist sponsors the
charity organisation Under the Same Sun, which provides support to
children with albinism in Tanzania and the rest of Africa. With its scorching
hot sun, the tropical climate of Tanzania puts people with albinism at a high
risk for developing skin cancer at an early age. 100% of children with albinism
in Tanzania show signs of sun-related skin damage by the age of 10. Altruist
donates 10p for the sale of every 200ml bottle and 50p from the sale of every
1L bottle to the charity. In the Netherlands they’ve gone one step further,
where they donate one bottle of Altruist for every bottle sold.