Altruist, the sunscreen brand founded by UK consultant dermatologist and skin-cancer specialist Dr Andrew Birnie, is heading into its second South African summer. The brand is sold exclusively through Clicks, in-store and online.
Altruist’s pitch is price. The brand says that when sunscreen is expensive, people apply too little, reapply less often and try to make a bottle last. Its aim is to make good SPF cheap enough to use properly every day.
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The Altruist range at Clicks
Five Altruist products are available in South Africa:
| Product | SPF | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Altruist Sunscreen | 50 | 100 ml |
| Altruist Sunscreen | 30 | 200 ml |
| Altruist Face Fluid | 50 | 50 ml |
| Altruist Family Sunspray | 50 | 250 ml |
| Altruist Invisible Spray | 50 | 200 ml |
All five carry a 5-star UVA rating. Altruist says the protection levels exceed European standards. The formulas are hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, water resistant, and free of parabens and fragrance. The brand describes the textures as lightweight and non-sticky, made for daily wear on all skin types and tones.
Dr Andrew Birnie’s links to South Africa
Birnie has travelled to South Africa regularly for more than 20 years. He helped organise the first conference and surgical workshop of the South African Society of Dermatology and played a key role in setting up the South African Society for Dermatologic Surgery (SASDS).
He also spent long periods working in KwaZulu-Natal. At Albert Luthuli Hospital he ran a teaching clinic for dermatology trainees and held outreach clinics in communities with little access to specialist care.
It was in South Africa that he met skincare economist David Westerbeek van Eerten. Their shared view that good sunscreen should not be priced as a premium product became the basis for Altruist, which launched in the UK more than a decade ago to help reduce skin cancer rates.
“Whilst there are some excellent products available, many are so expensive that people are reluctant to use them as often, or in as large a quantity, as they should,” says Birnie. “This can create a ‘make it last’ mentality. Altruist was created to challenge that.”
Donations to people with albinism
Altruist makes a charitable contribution with every sale. In the past year, the brand donated more than 63,000 tubes of sunscreen to charities across Africa that support children with albinism.
Explore the Altruist range at Clicks HERE.
