SAVE OUR SKIN!

Relentlessly Positve supports the RUB IT IN campaign to scrap VAT on sun lotion and get serious about sun protection.

Skin cancer is a serious issue in the UK. There are currently
69,000 new cases of skin cancer* diagnosed every year - twice as many as twenty years ago. It's one of the most common cancers in the UK and rates are predicted to continue to rise at an alarming rate, despite it being one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

Recent street surveys by Rub It In, the sun awareness campaign, revealed that:

• 76% underestimate how much sun lotion to apply
• 94% are shocked that sun lotion is not medically teste
• 85% don’t know whether their sun lotion is broad spectrum
• 73% believe the lower the factor, the better the tan
• 68% admitted to being ‘fairly badly’ burned last year
• 71% don’t wear sun lotion in the UK no matter how hot it is

We should all know by now that the best weapon against skin cancer, apart from living indoors all summer, is sun lotion. But we still have to pay VAT to the government every time we slap it on - it's considered a luxury item rather than a necessity. To turn the tide against skin cancer, the UK government needs to act NOW.

RUB IT IN, the campaign to raise awareness about the importance of Sun Protection, demands that the government address three important points to save the nation’s skin.

1. SCRAP VAT ON SUN LOTION – IT IS NOT A LUXURY!

The government currently classes sun lotion as a cosmetic and as such it is subject to VAT. Sun protection is more than that -a life saver; it should be exempt from VAT. The RUB IT IN campaign demands that the government acts on the wealth of medical knowledge that proves sun lotion saves lives and scraps VAT on sun lotion.

2. GET SERIOUS WITH STANDARDS

As sun lotion is currently classified as a cosmetic, it is not subject to any stringent tests of efficacy before it is sold and used. This means that substandard lotions are in circulation, potentially risking thousands of lives.

Currently, the only checks placed on sun lotions are through Trading Standards who only have the power to get involved once a customer has filed a complaint. RUB IT IN demands that the government reclassify sun lotion as a Cosmeceutical. A new Cosmeceutical classification would demand that the basic active formula of sun lotion is subject to medical standard tests while the manufacturer is still free to make changes to the lotions cosmetic ingredients such as fragrance.

3. SUN EDUCATION SHOULD BE AS IMPORTANT AS SEX EDUCATION!

Australia has slashed its skin cancer rates through education. A much greater emphasis on the importance of Sun Protection is needed through the UK. RUB IT IN demands that the government work with the medical profession to raise awareness of skin protection as apart of everyday life – not just a holiday hassle

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*Cancer Research UK website 2005

Join the RUBITIN online petition to scrap VAT and improve sun lotion standards in the UK: