What this is
Sunblock SPF is an independent publication about the language and labelling of sun protection in the United Kingdom. It examines what each word and each number on a sun protection product is permitted to mean, which body decides that, and where the gap sits between the label and what a reader believes the label says.
It is published by %s. Articles carry the publication as the author rather than invented bylines, because the judgement in them belongs to the title and we would rather not attribute it to people who do not exist.
Why the name
Because “sunblock” is a word the industry is told not to use. No sun protection product blocks all ultraviolet radiation. European guidance on sunscreen efficacy claims lists wording of that kind among the claims that should not be made, on the ground that it conveys total protection, and the UK advertising codes treat claims that overstate protection as misleading. Naming a publication after a discouraged word is a way of putting its subject on the masthead: the distance between what is said and what is meant. The full ruling on the word is the first article we published.
What this is not
It is not a review site. It does not name a single sunscreen brand or product anywhere, and it will not start. It is not a clinical publication: where a subject reaches skin cancer, diagnosis, treatment or personal risk, we stop and point to the NHS, a GP or a pharmacist. It is not legal advice: regulatory positions are reported from published instruments and guidance, and any business relying on them should read the primary source and take its own advice.
How it is paid for
Two declared lines, both stated in the footer of every page.
The register. A paid, business facing listing of testing laboratories, regulatory consultants and claim substantiation specialists. It is alphabetical, labelled paid, sold only on disclosed and verifiable facts including an accreditation reference where one is held, and it is never linked from an article. It is not a ranking and carries no score, badge or comment. The criteria and rates are published.
The newsletter. One clearly labelled sponsor line per issue, sold from a published rate card, which cannot influence any claim ruling, cannot buy a mention in an article and cannot buy sight of anything before publication.
There is no advertising network on this site, no AdWords, no affiliate links and no sponsored content. No sunscreen manufacturer, own label supplier, retailer or distributor can buy a listing here at any price. The reasoning is not delicate: a publication that rules on whether a claim is permitted cannot also take money from the parties making claims. What we refuse to sell is published in full at what we refuse to sell.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, write to us through contact with the reference and the correction. We publish corrections with a visible note. We do not remove accurate material on request from anybody, including anybody who has paid us.