These creams have good green credentials, but how effective are they? Our testers give them marks out of five

1. Aloe Pura SPF15, £8.99 for 200ml

This thick white cream is easy to apply and although it leaves you looking a little pale initially, the effect wears off soon. It is pleasant-smelling in a herbal way, and my skin didn’t feel too dry later, perhaps because of the “100 per cent pure aloe vera inner gel”. Did the job on a sunny, windy English seaside day.

Stockists 0870 8507114

Tested by Hilly Janes

2. Weleda Edelweiss Sun Lotion

SPF/IP 15, £8.85 for 200ml

“Greetings earthling, my name is SPF/IP 15.” That’s what I wanted to announce when I wore this mineral-based sun lotion, because it gives your skin a metallic sheen. I guess it’s the effective titanium oxide sunblock that’s to blame. Its water resistance is not always such a boon when you come wading out of the waves with your fish-silvered Man-from-Atlantis aura.

Stockists 0115-944 8222

Tested by John Naish

3. Green People sun lotion

SPF15, £15.99 for 200ml

The nicest thing about this suncream is its delicious cool fragrance. It was easy to apply, too, without any residual stickiness. The ingredients include edelweiss, green tea and avocado, and a couple of scientific-sounding things – phenoxyethanol and ethyhexyglycerin – which may have something to do with the product’s suntan accelerator. It did prevent my fair skin from burning, so definitely one for the holiday suitcase.

Stockists 0808 1003102; www.greenpeople.co.uk

Tested by Ann Brady

4. Dr Hauschka Sunscreen Lotion

SPF15, £10 for 100ml

This cream was heavy and sticky to apply and it made me look faintly pale, thanks to the pigment titanium dioxide, which Dr Hauschka describes as “a naturally occurring mineral”, but is actually the same sunblock included in non “natural” products. My wife loved the smell, but I found it annoyingly flowery. I didn’t apply it to my children as I didn’t believe the protection factor to be high enough, but I didn’t burn.

Stockists 01386 792642

Tested by Simon Crompton

5. Lavera Sun SPF15, £12.45 for 200ml

Easy to apply, this suncream smells lovely and moisturised my skin, too. Just looking at the ingredients made me feel good: 100 per cent mineral-based and organic, 100 per cent nontoxic. I had to reapply after swimming, but I didn’t burn. However, although it claims it is a family sun spray, I thought the SPF was too low for my children. Annoyingly, the spray nozzle became blocked frequently.

Stockists 0800 1692579

Tested by Nicola Clarke

6. Yaoh organic hemp seed oil

SPF15, £9.95 for 240ml

The white cream has a pleasant coconut smell and rubs easily into the skin. And my pallid skin has remained that way, no sunburn. Although it has an organic tag, this sunblock contains a host of chemical-sounding ingredients and only certain ones are certified organic. However, farther down the list is organic olive and hemp oil, and aloe vera. Yaoh claims the chemicals it uses are the least damaging available, as well as being vegan.

Stockists 0117-923 9053

Tested by Claire McDonald

7. Aloe Vera ESI Solar

SPF15, £9.95 for 100ml

Although this cream is billed as “fragrance free”, it actually has a coconut aroma. It is meant specifically for face and neck, but it felt so nice that I smeared it everywhere. It seemed to do the trick. It also claims to help beat wrinkles, and retinol is one of its antiwrinkle ingredients. A recent study published in the Archives of Dermatology found that retinol, a form of vitamin A, did have some rejuvenating effect on skin.

Stockists 01425 479637

Tested by Kate Wighton

8. Caribbean Blue Sun Shield Sport

SPF15, £10.95 for 120ml

This 100 per cent natural sunblock took some serious rubbing in before it completely disappeared What was left was a shiny metallic sheen – the zinc oxide. However, it did the job while I was on the tennis court. It protects against both UVB and UVA rays, and has a natural base of echinacea, coconut oils and essential oils of peppermint, lavender and vitamins A, C and E.

Stockists The Natural Skincare Company, 01403 790913

Tested by Portia Colwell

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