Shoppers have praised Tesco for the supermarkets announcement that it will be knocking 20% off its own sun protection range.

Britain’s biggest grocer will be covering the VAT on its sun protection by reducing the price of Tesco Soleil by one fifth.

The announcement follows new research from the retailer that shows an estimated 19 million UK adults do not wear sun protection, with cost proving a major barrier.

Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the UK despite up to 90% of cases being easily preventable by protecting your skin against the sun.

Alessandra Bellini, Chief Customer Officer, Tesco said: “At Tesco, we believe sun protection is essential, and know that the cost of using it can add up. With the events of the past year especially, money may be tighter than ever for many families.

“We believe the safety of the nation’s skin should not be treated as a luxury, which is why we have permanently reduced the price of the sun protection products in our Tesco Soleil range by 20 per cent to cover the cost of VAT.”

Tesco has been congratulated by customers following the announcement.

“Well done Tesco – even better would be for the government to scrap VAT on all sun lotion,” said one social media user.

“This is actually very cool,” added another.

Another user said: “We stan companies acknowledging what a horrendous burden tax is! 10/10 my kings.

Tesco is also launching a partnership with SKCIN, a national skin cancer charity, to highlight the importance of sun safety in the UK.

As part of the initiative, the charity will be training Tesco’s pharmacists starting this week.

60-70 Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues across Hertfordshire, Essex, East Anglia and the North West will receive training before being rolled out to an additional 3,000 colleagues later in the year.

Marie Tudor, CEO of SKCIN said: “Skin cancer statistics are compelling and with rates rapidly increasing, we are delighted that Tesco has chosen to prioritise the health of its customers with this initiative.

“Millions of people visit Tesco every day, so by equipping its pharmacy teams with this knowledge, Tesco can help educate customers on skin cancer and the importance of protecting their skin, while also helping to make sun protection more accessible by reducing the cost. We hope that together, through this initiative, we can significantly increase awareness of skin cancer prevention and early detection to help protect the health of the nation.”