London - A girl of nine suffered burns and was left looking like she had been splashed with acid after using suntan lotion, her mother claims.
Olivia Nickles was burned on both legs and on her stomach and her mother Louise fears she could be scarred for life.
They were on holiday in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, earlier this month when Miss Nickles applied the Banana Boat Kids Ultramist Spray Sun Lotion.
Later, Olivia complained that she was in pain. Miss Nickles, quickly washed the lotion off but this did not prevent the burns. ‘I sprayed it on her a few times throughout the day,’ said Miss Nickles. ‘She said her legs were really sore later in the day and I just knew she’d been burnt.
‘That afternoon she came out of the shower and I saw where I had sprayed it and it was bright red. It looked like she’d been sprayed with acid.’
In 2012 nearly two dozen varieties of Banana Boat’s UltraMist were recalled in American and Canada after reports that users’ skin could catch fire if they got close to an ignition source before the spray dried. But the product is still available to buy in the UK.
A spokesman for Banana Boat said: ‘We stand behind the quality and performance of our products. Consumers can rest assured that all Banana Boat sun care products are formulated to be safe and effective when used as directed by the product label.’
Daily Mail