Piz Buin 1 Day Long Lasting Sun Lotion SPF 30, 100 ml

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Application: It’s important to think about how long you intend to be running and the practicalities of reapplying during your run. A longer-lasting product can be a lot less faff, but if you've got the means to carry your SPF with you, you may want the reassurance of applying something more often. Professor Brian Diffey adds that sun creams generally offer ‘very good’ water resistance these days (though be aware water resistance claims also come with caveats, and the products we tested didn't hold up well to real-life conditions in our 2016 investigation), which is good if you're planning on spending time in the pool or in the sea. But over the course of the day swimming will wash away some of the protection. Over the course of a day, he added, 'swimming, drying, sweating, getting dressed and undressed' can cause sun cream to be wiped or washed away. Believe it or not, the best thing you can do for your skin daily is to apply a sunscreen. Not only will this reduce the chances of your skin ageing prematurely, but it will also protect you against harmful skin cancers. And if you think sunscreen is only essential on sunny days, think again. For maximum protection, you’re supposed to apply it even when it’s cloudy outside – and even if you spend most of your time indoors.

Sweat-resistance: ‘You also want something highly water and sweat-resistant, meaning it won’t slide off or drip into your eyes during your workout,’ says Austen. We award Which? Best Buy status to products that we've independently reviewed that meet all our tough criteria: they must pass independent lab tests for UVA and UVB sun protection, and be easy and pleasant to apply. This tends to mean that two commonly used chemical UV filters linked to coral bleaching – oxybenzone and octinoxate – aren’t used.

What's more, even if you follow all the rules, it's possible you won't get as much as protection as you expect.

Nobody applies sunscreen perfectly uniformly to all exposed skin and it is inevitable that we will miss patches of skin.According to the Met Office, even when the weather is overcast, UV radiation can still be 80% of its normal levels. Not to mention, the temperature can be deceiving – especially if there’s a breeze making it feel a lot cooler than it is. So even if it's cloudy it's important to protect yourself. Reapply sunscreen after swimming, sweating heavily, towel drying, or rubbing your skin in a way that might cause the cream to rub off.

Apply a generous amount of sun cream - around one teaspoon per body part - at least 15 minutes before you go into the sun so it soaks in.

Bear in mind that running at altitude means you’ll be more exposed to UV rays – up to 10% more for every 300 metres above sea level,’ he adds. ‘Nobody ever regretted wearing sunscreen, but we have all regretted skipping it… Skin damage is long-lasting, difficult (if not impossible) to reverse and yet massively avoidable.’ How often should you apply facial sunscreen? It's clear that there are plenty of conditions to fulfil to get the claimed protection from once-a-day products, which may be hard to achieve if you're on a day out in the sun.

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) says frequent reapplication of sun cream is important, regardless of how long any product claims to give protection for. A spokesperson told us that all of its sun creams are designed for 'longevity' but that it found the use of the word 'durable' more 'appropriate' than once a day. Consider the time of day – If you're spending time in the sun without wearing sun cream, you should only do so before 11am or after 3pm, as the middle of the day is when you're at the greatest risk of getting burnt. People can still use these types of sunscreens, but you should treat them like any other sunscreen, and reapply regularly,' he said.

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The sun emits two types of ultraviolet radiation. UVA affects the skin’s elastin, leading to wrinkles and premature ageing (although it’s also linked to developing skin cancers). UVB is responsible for sunburn and can increase the risk of skin cancers, too. Certain sunscreens carry a UVA star rating from zero to five, which indicates how much UVA radiation they absorb, relative to UVB radiation. Don’t be alarmed if there isn’t a number on the bottle, though: the rating system was devised and is owned by Boots, so not all brands carry it. However, there's no agreed definition of 'reef-safe', research is still ongoing as to the impact of these chemicals, and our tests found many mineral suncreams failed to protect as claimed – so take any claims with a pinch of salt. Kids' sun cream Factor: For running, look for products with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or more and with broad spectrum protection, says Austen. ‘Even with a high SPF, if a sunscreen isn't broad spectrum, you won't be protected from all UVA rays'.