Riemann P20 P20 Sun Filter High Protection > Reviews (30)

Sounds unbelievable doesn’t it – only having to apply your sun protection once per day? That’s what Reimanns P20 claims. It was recommended to me by a policeman who said his mate (who had even fairer skin than me) never burnt his entire holiday. It was after I forked out nearly twenty quid for the stuff that I wondered where his mate had gone; it could have been Iceland or Alaska for all I know!

Anyway I thought I’d let my husband test it on our recent holiday to a Greek island, to see if it worked. Then if he got really burnt I wouldn’t bother with it. It’s always handy to have a guinea pig in these situations (not a real guinea-pig – just Andy, no animals were harmed in the writing of this review). He used it for a few days with no ill effects so I thought I’d try it. I have the type of skin that can burn within five minutes of Northeast sunshine (no, its not a myth – we do have about three days a year when it gets sunny), so I am extremely careful. Usually I can be found under a parasol, wearing a big hat and smothered in at least 3 inches of factor 30-sun protection. Very attractive.

The big disadvantage with this product is that it has to be applied 90 minutes before any exposure to the sun. This is a long time when you have an impatient family eager to jump into the pool. It can stain some synthetic materials so it’s best to apply it naked and not dress for at least half an hour. Oh the kids did have a good laugh at us wandering around the apartment like John Wayne. You should see the photos, well maybe not.

The first time I used the P20 I thought it felt awful. It’s a sticky, yellowy oil and I felt like I was being basted with stinky honey. It doesn’t taste of honey, it’s yuck. I now know not to blow raspberries on Andy’s tummy when he’s covered in this stuff. The chemically smell does wear off fairly quickly. It’s very tacky when first applied but after the required 90 minutes wait, it absorbs onto your skin and is undetectable. A little P20 goes a long way and we found that a 200ml bottle was sufficient for the entire fortnight so although the initial outlay was a tad expensive it worked out quite economical when you compare it to regular sun protection.

I had worked out that if I usually burn after 5 mins exposure and the product is factor 20 then I could have 100 minutes per day in the sunshine. It took me quite a while to work that out cos I didn’t have a calculator with me. To be totally honest it was so hot most days - 42C – that I don’t think I sat in direct sunlight for half that time. My husband (being male and quite mad) lay out for hours on end and now resembles a pickled walnut. Neither of us burnt at all while using this stuff. Andy’s a bit baldy (okay then, a lot baldy) and always burns his scalp on holiday but this year after using the P20 he’s had no problems at all.

So how does it work? This is the technical bit. The main active ingredient of P20 is p-aminobenzoic acid also known as Vitamin H, which binds to the keratin in skin to give long lasting protection against burning.

Seemingly this process takes 90 minutes, which is why you have to wait so long before sunbathing. From what I understand of it, it puts a kind of protective coating on the skin. It does allow some UVA rays to get through so that you gradually tan. We all ended up a lovely colour, very healthy looking.

It even protects while swimming and claims (in the leaflet provided) to still be 90% effective after frequent swimming. We tested this on our children, Becca the mermaid and Robert the fish (who live in the swimming pool on holiday) and they didn’t burn either. Mind they were wearing oversized t-shirts and hats throughout the holiday. You can’t be too careful with your children’s skin.

The leaflet that comes with the P20 stuff is quite detailed and informative and we found that as long as we followed the instructions we had no problems. I was a bit worried in case it reacted with the Spray tan I’d had before my holiday as I had visions of it taking my lovely fake colour away but I was ok. Andy found that it made his greasy skin quite spotty but I have dry skin so it’s left my skin fairly moisturised and smooth.

I would advise anyone thinking of using this product to read the leaflet before buying or to visit the website at www.p20.com just to be aware of any problems with it. As I said before it’s a bit of a chore having to wait 90 minutes after applying before sun exposure but its worth it not to have the hassle of reapplying lotion every hour or so.

We got ours from Savers and it cost £17.99 for a 200ml bottle. I will definitely use it again.