The sun is out and the kids are feral with freedom. Summer in Ireland — however brief or brilliant it turns out to be — means one thing lands squarely on every mum's mental load: sunscreen. Not just buying it, but actually getting it on small wriggling bodies before they disappear into the garden or down to the beach at full sprint.
If that particular daily battle feels all too familiar, Soltan has a range that's genuinely worth knowing about. It's one of those brands that does the thinking so you don't have to — and when it comes to protecting children's skin, that matters enormously.
Why UVA protection actually matters
Most of us know to look for a high SPF number on the bottle. But UVA protection is a different thing entirely, and it's the part that tends to get quietly glossed over on the back of a tube while a toddler is making a bid for the paddling pool. Soltan was the first brand to include 5-star UVA protection across its entire range — it actually introduced the star-rating system that's now widely used across the industry — and every single product in the Soltan line-up carries that rating. For families in particular, that's reassuring. All baby and children's products in the range carry 5-star UVA protection as standard.
All Soltan products are dermatologically tested, non-greasy and water resistant. No white cast, no thick residue that your nine-year-old will complain about for the entire journey to the beach. Just light, easily absorbed sun protection that actually stays put.
The formats that make family life easier
The format really does make a difference when you've got multiple children at different ages, different temperaments and wildly different opinions about having sunscreen applied to their faces. Soltan has clearly thought about this.
Suncare Stick and Suncare Roll On offer SPF 50+ protection for kids.
The Soltan Once Kids Advanced 8hr Protect & Play comes in both a mini lotion and a spray, and offers up to eight hours of protection from a single application. For school days, day trips or days when you simply cannot be reapplying every couple of hours, this one earns its place in the bag. There's also the Soltan Once Kids Advanced 3hr Protect & Swim, which gives little ones up to three hours of protection in the water — because the spray-and-go approach only works if it actually stays on when they're in and out of the sea all afternoon.
The Soltan Kids Suncare Stick SPF 50+ and the Soltan Kids Suncare Roll On SPF 50+ are both extra water resistant too, making them ideal for the beach bag or the swimming lesson kit. The stick in particular is a brilliant option for faces — precise application without the faff, which any parent of a sun-cream-averse child will understand immediately.
Something for you too
Clear & Cool Protect Mist keeps skin cool and protected this summer.
It's very easy, in the scramble of applying SPF to everyone else, to forget entirely about yourself. Soltan's Clear & Cool Protect Suncare Mist SPF 30 is a transparent, non-greasy aerosol mist that leaves no white marks and instantly cools the skin — the kind of thing you'll actually want to use rather than grudgingly squeeze onto your arms before getting back to the chaos. It's suitable for all skin types and tones and the can is made from 95% recycled materials.
It's worth noting too that Soltan uses no animal-derived ingredients or by-products and doesn't test on animals. All products are also free from the chemical UV filters Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, meaning they comply with the Hawaii Reef Bill — the Hawaiian legislation that bans these ingredients to protect marine ecosystems. A small but meaningful thing to know, particularly if you're heading somewhere with coral reefs this summer.
The full Soltan range is available at Boots.ie with home delivery or click-and-collect options, so you can stock up without adding another errand to an already packed week. Which, honestly, is the best kind of news on a sunny Friday.
