Why you could be spending over £100 extra on suncream in places like Ibiza and Majorca

British holidaymakers don’t take enough sun cream on holiday – and the cost of stocking up abroad could be more than £100 for a family.

That's the news from research in popular holiday destinations that has revealed exactly how much money travellers could be losing.

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In a survey by online travel agent Holiday Hypermarket, a quarter of people said they took no suntan lotion on their holiday.

And 44 per cent said they take just one bottle per adult - well below NHS recommendations.

Sun-lotion costs are significantly higher than the UK in many popular package holiday destinations. And this means British families are bumping up their spending by buying extra protection when they’re on their break.

The survey asked how many 200ml bottles of sun lotion people take for each adult on a week-long sunshine holiday.

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Almost nine out of ten respondents said they took two or fewer. This is despite the NHS recommending four bottles per adult.

The NHS figure is the amount required to apply the equivalent of two teaspoons of lotion five times each day.

The price of sun cream in the UK

According to the Post Office Holiday Costs Barometer, which is checked with tourist boards and online, Britain is one of Europe’s cheapest locations to buy sun cream.

In the UK there is an average price of £4.50 for 200ml of branded factor 15 sun cream.

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This compares favourably with many holiday hotspots. In Ibiza, the average cost for the same product is a sizzling £17.45; in Halkidiki in Greece, it’s £13.15; and in Limassol, Cyprus, the typical price is £12.71.

How much would a family pay?

At these prices, a family of two adults and two young children who take just four bottles of sun cream for a one-week holiday in Ibiza would have to spend an extra £103 to buy eight more bottles during their break.

This amount is well below the NHS-recommended number of 12 bottles.

In Halkidiki, the cost of buying extra sun protection for four is £69, and in Limassol it's more than £65.

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Craig Duncan of Holiday Hypermarket said: "Cost is one of the most important considerations for any holiday. Yet Brits are underestimating the amount of sun cream they need and then wasting hundreds by stocking up abroad.

"A British family can spend an eye-watering £200 to buy extra lotion for a two week holiday in Ibiza. That could easily cover a few delicious family meals, a room upgrade or new holiday clothes.

"Buying enough sun cream at a supermarket in the UK is one of the most effective money-saving holiday hacks there is!"

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