A recent sample test conducted by China Consumers' Association (CCA) on 72 sun protection products on the market shows not all big brands live up to their big names.

The test includes two items: SPF (Sun Protection Factor) and PA. SPF shows how well a sun protection product does in preventing skin from getting sunburned. The larger the number is, the longer the sun-proof effect will last. PA is an index of how much long-wave ultraviolet radiation a product blocks.

According to the report, among the 72 SPF samples tested, 67 were as good as promised. The 13 samples tested for PA all passed.

Some sun protection products from Aupres, Kanebo, Pond's, Doctor Li, and Avon, failed to pass the SPF test and the results indicate these brands' actual SPF is only half of that advertised.

Smaller brand sunscreens such as Mininurse and Tjoy outperformed some of the bigger brands in the SPF test. Both Aupres' Balancing Daily Protector and Mininurse's Multiple Sun Protection Lotion are marked as SPF 15, but the former was tested to be only SPF 6.4 while the latter reaches SPF 16.7.

Still many people say they trust the bigger brands more.

A woman, surnamed Huang, in her early 30s, who was asking for sun-block lotion at the counter of Aupres at Ito Yokado's Yayuncun store, said that since she uses sun-protection lotion every day in the summer, she'd rather buy a more expensive product that may be better for skin.

"The higher the price, the better the quality. I have doubts about less-known products with low prices; they may damage my skin," said Huang.

Lu Xiaowei, 26, an environment consultant, said he prefers mid-range products from big brands because they probably deliver the best value for money.

"Big companies care more about their reputations and it is always the middle and low end products that bring the bulk of profits to the company. So they have to make sure these products are of good quality. In the case of sun protection products, I think middle end products such as L'Oreal are a good choice for me because I think they strike the right balance between function and price," Lu said.

A spokesman surnamed Zhang at the CCA told METRO the test should serve as a reminder for consumers who pursue big-brand products merely for their reputation but ignore their real quality.

"Consumers should not take for granted the quality of big-brand sun protection products. Rather a product's actual performance should have the final say. As a matter of fact, it applies to all products; don't trust everything advertisements say. Blind pursuit of big brands will be taken advantage of," Zhang said.

The report also said the test, which was carried out on human bodies, may have minor errors due to factors including individual differences in the humans involved in the test. The final judgment allowed for a range of error.

A woman, surnamed Lu, at after-sale service at Doctor Li, told METRO they had doubts about the accuracy of the CCA's sample test.

"Doctor Li's ultraviolet protector (which performed poorly in the test) has been on the market for more than six years. The most recent test was done in November 2009 by the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, and the product passed. But given the report by the CCA on June 1, we are arranging for another test at the moment," said Lu.

The CCA also published the test results of skin whitening cosmetics. All 20 samples performed well.