Face the Future Backs Industry Call for National UV Safety Strategy

Face the Future is supporting calls for a national UV safety strategy, following the publication of a parliamentary report that describes overexposure to ultraviolet radiation as a severe but entirely preventable public health crisis in the UK.

The report, "A Preventable Crisis: The Case for a National UV Safety Strategy," was published on 13 May at an event at Portcullis House in Westminster, attended by Face the Future co-owners Paul Thompson and Julia Barcoe-Thompson. It is the outcome of an inquiry into UV safety launched in Westminster in May 2025 by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Beauty, Hair and Wellbeing, chaired by Carolyn Harris MP.

The report sets out a series of findings on the UK's approach to UV exposure. It notes that although the World Health Organisation classifies UV radiation as a Group 1 carcinogen, the UK has no cohesive national strategy to address it, a gap the report says will widen as climate change increases exposure.

The inquiry concluded that no single measure would resolve the issue, and called instead for a collaborative approach between government and industry. Education emerged as a central theme, with the report calling for a long-running national awareness campaign and comprehensive sun safety education at both primary and secondary level, alongside greater efforts to counter UV-related misinformation.

The report also flags gaps in legislation that leave outdoor workers exposed to UV damage, and inconsistencies in the enforcement and licensing of commercial sunbeds. On cost, it argues that the current VAT classification, which treats sunscreen as a luxury cosmetic rather than preventative healthcare, inflates the price in a way that deters regular use.

Face the Future is an official supporting partner of the British Beauty Council's UV Safety Initiative for the second consecutive year. The retailer, which began as an advanced skin clinic in 2005, also runs its own annual "365 Days of SPF" campaign, now in its third year, supported by an independent OnePoll survey of 2,000 people commissioned in January 2026.

Co-owners Paul Thompson and Julia Barcoe-Thompson said they hoped the report would prompt action from government. "We're delighted to support the British Beauty Council's UV Safety Initiative and to see the launch of its report, which we hope will encourage government action to remove VAT on sunscreen in the UK, helping to improve access to daily sun protection, reduce skin cancer rates and protect skin from harmful UV radiation," they said.

They added that the company supported the report's recommendations on UV education in schools. "As an education-first beauty retailer, we also fully support the report's recommendations around UV education within both primary and secondary schools. Earlier this year, we delivered educational workshops within our local community and we're passionate about continuing to support greater awareness and understanding of daily UV protection in the future," they said.

The report has drawn support from across the beauty retail sector, with several brands and retailers using its publication to renew calls for sunscreen to be reclassified for VAT purposes. Any change to VAT would be a Treasury decision rather than one the APPG can deliver directly, but the report gives the long-running industry argument a formal parliamentary platform. For retailers such as Face the Future, aligning with the initiative places them inside a policy conversation that the sector has been pushing for several years.