Trade supply retailer Wickes is doing its part to get its handy customers to better protect their skin with a timely pivot into the Sun Cream market.

The company is unveiling a new line of free sun cream in store with packaging much more reminiscent of wood filler or paint than traditional balms, in an awareness drive underlining its research finding that there has been a 119% rise in melanoma skin cancer incidence rates since the early 90s.

Melanoma is an illness highly contractable in the construction industry due to long periods spent by Tradespeople in the outdoors.

Matthew Gaunt, head of brand and comms at Wickes, said: “It is clear that there’s a real need here and we want to help tradespeople working outdoors get to grips with this issue. We hope that by trialling Wickes Tradesman’s Suncream in our stores, it helps raise awareness of an important issue within the industry, as well as making protection from the sun’s rays more accessible to tradespeople in the UK.”

Dr Lesley Rushton, who works at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Imperial College London, added: “We have estimated that around one construction worker every fortnight will get a melanoma caused by sun exposure at work.

“Occupational solar exposure is often overlooked but it is so important that tradespeople are well informed about the potential implications of being sunburnt, and that they take the necessary steps to minimise their risk.”

The products are now available in stores in a variety of styles: Brickie’s Bronze, Plasterers Pink or Apprentice White.