2012 Sunscreens Awards

You are viewing the 2012 ratings for sunscreen. To see the latest customer satisfaction ratings, please go to the current Sunscreen ratings.
Compare some of the best sunscreen brands using our customer satisfaction ratings.

New Zealand men fail to ‘slip slop and slap’ on sunscreen

Despite the fact that nearly 9 in 10 New Zealanders were concerned about the health implications of sun exposure, many respondents to our recent survey neglected to protect themselves by applying sunscreen.

In fact, more than half of our respondents only applied sun block on hot, sunny days. What was particularly disturbing, however, was that males were especially resistant to use sunscreen unless it was an extremely hot day (65%).

Furthermore, while a quarter of women wore sunscreen every day (not just in summer), only eight percent of men could make the same claim.

Not only is the incidence rate of melanoma the highest in the world in New Zealand and Australia, evidence shows that the death rate from this form of cancer is especially prevalent in New Zealand men…and continues to increase.

Despite some New Zealanders being complacent in protecting themselves against harmful UV rays, our results showed their choice of sunblock was driven more by the SPF (sun protection factor) than by the brand.

Customers of Avon were most satisfied with their sunscreen brand of choice, earning them our award for 2012 ahead of Neutrogena, SunSense, Aveeno, Nivea, Cancer Society, Banana Boat and Le Tan.

Avon achieved the all-important five star rating for overall customer satisfaction, as well as five stars for value for money, effectiveness, smell and scent.

In other results:

• Neutrogena received five star ratings for effectiveness, smell/scent, packaging and ease of dispensing.
• Aveeno received five star ratings for their texture and consistency, smell, scent, and sunscreen packaging.

Canstar Blue commissions Your Source to survey 2,500 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories every few months to measure and track customer satisfaction. The outcomes reported are the results from sunscreen customers within the survey group – in this case, 1,404 people. To qualify, the customer must have purchased and used sunscreen in the last 12 months. Brands had to have received at least 30 responses to be included.

Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands that received three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10.

Overall customer satisfaction

Avon sunscreens received the five star nod for overall satisfaction; ahead of four star recipients Neutrogena, SunSense, Aveeno, Nivea and the Cancer Council. Banana Boat and Le Tan each received three stars for overall customer satisfaction.

Value for money

Five stars went to Avon for top tier customer satisfaction with their value for money. SunSense, Aveeno, Nivea, Cancer Society, Banana Boat and Le Tan were close behind with four stars; followed by three star recipient Neutrogena.

Texture and consistency

Aveeno customers were most satisfied with their sunscreen’s texture and consistency. Following the five star recipient was Avon and Neutrogena with four stars; then SunSense, Nivea, Cancer Society, Banana Boat and Le Tan with three.

Effectiveness

As many Kiwis are aware of the effects of sun exposure, they will be on the lookout for an effective product to give them lasting protection from the sun. Both Avon and Neutrogena received five star ratings for effectiveness. Aveeno, Nivea, Cancer Society and Banana Boat received four stars each for this criterion, followed by Le Tan with three.

Smell/scent

Avon, Aveeno and Neutrogena each received five star ratings for their products’ smell/scent. Nivea and Le Tan were next with four stars each; while SunSense, Cancer Society and Banana Boat received three.

Packaging

Neutrogena and Aveeno were ahead for their sunscreen product packaging, earning five stars in this criterion while Avon and Banana Boat followed with four. SunSense, Nivea, Cancer Society and Le Tan received three stars.

Ease of dispensing

A five star rating went to Neutrogena for the ease with which sunscreen could be dispensed by customers. Avon, Neutrogena, SunSense, Aveeno, Nivea, Cancer Society and Banana Boat all followed with four stars each; and Le Tan rounded out the results with three.