Radiant complexion and effective UV protection: cheap day cream convinces in the test

Moisturizing and protective facial care is a must-have, especially in summer. Moisturizing the facial skin while at the same time protecting it from dangerous UV rays is the task of day creams with UV protection. There are a number of face creams on the market that advertise UV protection, but they differ widely in price. But does expensive mean good in this case?

Not at all, because not all products live up to their promises. Especially the expensive creams from well-known brands failed in the test. The Stiftung Warentest examined 11 creams and came to the following conclusions:

The creams of the luxury brands Estee Lauder and Shiseido which cost up to 100 euros per 100 milliliters pat in terms of UV protection and are rated as poor. In this respect, the best convince with only a fraction of the price.

test winner on the other hand, the cheap day cream is the DM own brand Balea : It protects and cares for only 3.90 euros per 100 milliliters. The Nivea day cream made it to second place at EUR 8.00 per 100 milliliters. In the case of day creams with UV protection, this would prove that expensive does not equal good.

When it comes to UV protection, the creams from Eucerin and Louis-Widmer well, but lose points in other categories. The voluminous jar of Eucerin day cream contains much less cream than the packaging suggests and Louis-Widmer’s face care only gets a 4.0 in the moisturizing category.

And there is also something for vegans: The creams from DM and Rossmann are labeled as vegan and are therefore made without animal products. However, the Rossmann cream cannot convince otherwise and is rated as unsatisfactory.

But why is a day cream with UV protection actually recommended? The sun’s ultraviolet rays damage the skin in both summer and winter. Sunburn caused by UV rays and premature skin aging increase the risk of skin cancer immensely. Therefore, protect yourself by applying a face cream with a sun protection factor of 30 to 50 every day.

You can read the full test for a fee at Stiftung Warentest.

The best sunscreens at a glance

To avoid sunburn, you must also protect yourself with sunscreen on hot and sunny days. We have summarized the best sunscreens from the Stiftung Warentest test for you: