Are You My Sunshine? (Riemann P20 Sunfilter)

Member Name: xalala

Product:	Riemann P20 Sunfilter
Date:	06/05/05 (6232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Only have to apply once a day, Waterproof, High SPF

Disadvantages: Takes a while to become active, Can stain clothes, Price might put you off

I have really fair skin that burns easily, and don't usually get a tan. In fact I often avoid direct sun, being quite happy to sit in the shade or wait until the strong sun has passed before venturing out. However, when holidaying somewhere where that isn't practical (Mexico and Florida are two recent-ish holidays that spring to mind) P20 does a great job at keeping my skin from burning.

P20 is unusual so far as sun protection is concerned, since it's one that only has to be applied once a day for most people. It has an active ingredient (PABA, also known as vitamin H) that binds itself to your skin when applied, meaning that it stays put even when you're in and out of the sea or the pool like a jack in the box. This is great for me, as one of the things I really hate about traditional suntan cream is that it isn't waterproof, so doesn't work if I spend extended time in the water, and certainly doesn't stand repeated immersion.

This one is easy to use, but because its different from other sun lotions, its worth reading the instructions before setting to for the first time. Fortunately, they are simple and not very long, so there’s little delay there! Basically, you need to rub the lotion all over your skin, in a thin but even layer and then leave it to air dry before covering it with any clothes or wiping it. It’s best to try and avoid touching it altogether before it dries, if at all possible.

The lotion is fairly clear in colour, with a very slight orange-y tinge to it. It’s also much more runny than I was expecting when I first used it, so beware if you don’t want to spill it all over the floor. This makes it quite difficult to apply, for several reasons. First, because it is so runny, it’s difficult to make sure it gets where you intended it to. Second, because it’s clear, it’s not very easy to see where you’ve already applied it or, more importantly, the bits that you’ve missed. It feels quite sticky as its drying, too, which isn’t especially pleasant.

Again because it’s clear, P20 can be used underneath make-up, or on a bald spot, without causing the type of greasiness that similar products can. Or the vaguely white tide mark that can appear, which never looks attractive on people. Make sure you wait for the full 90 minutes before putting on moisturiser or make up after putting on the P20, otherwise it doesn’t work properly and you’ll have a reduced SPF without realising until it’s too late.

The smell of P20 is strange. It doesn’t smell of coconut, or of the ozone-y tang of the sea, fragrances that most sun creams use. In fact it doesn’t have any identifiable perfume to it at all. Because there’s no perfume added, the over-riding smell is sharp, of alcohol, which is used as a carrier and preservative for the other ingredients. The lack of perfume additions does mean it’s suitable for use for people who are allergic to fragrances, likewise there are no added preservatives (the alcohol does that job), so again it’s suitable for people who might be allergic to those.

Having said that it’s suitable for people with allergies, it doesn’t feel especially kind to my skin when I use it, so I’m not sure how good it would be for those with sensitive skin. I think that this is caused by the alcohol in it, which is quite drying for the skin – imagine nail polish remover getting onto your skin rather than just your nails. Equally, try to avoid putting this onto areas where you have unhealed cuts or abrasions, it *really* stings! It does contain an ingredient designed to counteract the effect of alcohol on your skin (and I don’t mean the drinking kind!), but I’m not convinced how effective that it.

Overall, P20 is very effective as a suntan lotion. It has a sun protection factor of 20 (which means it gives you 20 times the protection that your own skin can manage alone). What’s more, the manufacturers claim that it blocks 95% of the sun’s harmful UVB rays, while it lets UVA rays (the ones that give you the tan) through.

I have to say that when I’ve used this product, I have managed to get a tan, so it certainly is effective in that sense. I’ve also managed not to get burned, despite spending much more time in the sun than I usually do, and in much hotter sun, too.

The smell isn’t off-putting, and I find it completely undetectable once the P20 has dried properly. An adult is meant to use around 30-40 ml of it a day, which seems like loads, but since you only have to apply it once a day actually works out quite economical. A normal sized bottle lasts us (a couple) for a week away, easily – however we’re not usually applying it to my whole body every day, some days it’s only to face, arms and legs for example.

OK, so having to wait for 90 minutes before having full protection from the sun seems like a bit of a nightmare, but we applied it as soon as we got out of the shower, then went to brush teeth etc – this meant it was dry for us to get dressed and get breakfast. After breakfast, 90 minutes had almost always passed since application, and hey presto, we were ready to hit the beach or poolside.

It is important to wait until the stuff is absolutely completely dry before putting any clothes on though – or at least clothes that you care about and want to keep. We found out to our cost that rushing the process doesn’t really work, since we now have a couple of white or mostly white t-shirts stained a nasty orange-brown colour in places, a result of not quite dry P20 rubbing on the fabric. Although the manufacturer claims that the stains mostly come out with washing, some of those stains are 2 years and multiple washes old, so don’t rely on that promise.

Despite my one or two reservations, I really can’t recommend this product highly enough. It’s not something I’ve ever seen advertised, but clearly many people do use it – I heard about it through a friend, and word-of-mouth seems to be the most common way that people have heard of and come to use it. I can’t see that I’ll ever go back to using a standard sun tan cream, and if we have kids, I’ll certainly be using it on the little blighters, since a once a day coverage seems much simpler than arguing about it on an almost hourly basis.


Other Information:

You can find P20 in Asda, Superdrug, Waitrose and TJ Hughes. In the past I’ve also seen it in Big W (not sure if these still exist), and in airport departure lounges in the UK and USA.

It seems expensive, at around £11 for 100ml, and £21 for 200ml. But 200ml would last a couple for at least a one week, and probably a two week, holiday – obviously kids need less since they’re smaller.

Websites available at www.P20.co.uk (not very well put together) or www.P20.com (much more professional looking and easier to navigate).

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