Travel health products you don't need

Holidaymakers are wasting their money on branded health products such as Imodium and Piriteze, according to Which? Travel.

Savings of up to £8 can be made by switching well-known remedies for generic, far cheaper alternatives available on the high street.

Not only this, but travellers are needlessly stocking up on other popular travel products with little scientific evidence that they actually work, such as travel-sickness wristbands.

Mosquito repellent, after-sun and anti-jet-lag remedies; most of us know the blind panic of the pre-holiday shopping trip. We dash around our local pharmacy, baskets overflowing with just-in-case health products. But ask yourself: how much of this do I really need? 

Here, we tell you how to weed out the pointless products taking up valuable space in your suitcase.

Travel-sickness wrist bands

What’s the claim? ‘The natural choice for nausea relief’

These elasticated wristbands are said to alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness by pressing on the Nei-Kuan pressure point, with no nasty side effects. Unfortunately, the NHS remains unconvinced. ‘There’s little scientific evidence to show that travel-sickness bands are effective,’ it says.

Is it worth the money? They don’t work for everyone. Looking for something with a little more scientific clout? Travel-sickness medication such as Kwells contain hyoscine, which blocks some of the nerve signals sent from the sensory system, to prevent nausea. However, it can cause drowsiness. Talk to a pharmacist to find the right option for you.

Video: Do travel-sickness wrist bands work?

Mosquito-repellent wrist band

What’s the claim? ‘[It] expels a concentrated formula to form a protective halo around you’

It sounds ideal: rather than douse ourselves in pungent DEET, we can ward off mozzies with an environmentally friendly bracelet. But studies have shown that while wrist bands will reduce the number of bites to the hands and wrists, they are not a substitute for lotions or sprays – and they’re unlikely to spare other parts of the body.

Is it worth the money? For extra protection, go ahead. But you’ll still need to apply repellent regularly to all areas of exposed skin. A formula containing 20-50% DEET is recommended.

Swap after-sun lotion for moisturiser

What’s the claim? ‘Specially formulated to cool and soothe sun-exposed skin’

While nobody plans to get sunburnt on holiday, it’s easy to be caught out. But is after-sun lotion really a miracle cure for frazzled skin? While many of these lotions contain paraffinum liquidum – which helps form a second skin, allowing your own to repair underneath – this same ingredient is commonly found in a bog-standard moisturiser.

But are you paying for new products when there's already something equally effective in your bathroom cabinet? 

However, key ingredient paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil) - which helps form a second skin, allowing your own to repair underneath - is also commonly found in a ordinary moisturiser.

Many after-sun creams also contain alcohol which initially cools the sun burn, but can cause skin to become dry and flaky later on.

Is it worth the money? No. A moisturiser for sensitive skin, such as Aveeno (£3.99 for 200ml), will do the job. Aveeno contains colloidal oatmeal, skin-protecting allantoin and barrier repairing ceramides to speed up your skin’s recovery.

Anti-jet-lag tablets

What’s the claim? ‘Allows you to adjust to the local time zone quicker’

Circadin contains melatonin, a hormone which is produced in the brain and helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycle. The drug isn’t currently licensed in the UK, but it can be prescribed online. However, because it’s unregulated in this country, people won’t necessarily use it correctly. Its herbal equivalents also vary greatly in their contents, effectiveness and potency.

Is it worth the money? You’ll be spending money on something unlicensed when there’s a cheaper solution. Harvard Medical School found that fasting for at least 16 hours before you fly can override the body clock.

Once-a-day sunscreens

What’s the claim? ‘Provides up to eight hours of sun protection’

It’s appealing to think we can slap on the sunscreen in the morning and be protected all day long, but can long-lasting formulas really go the distance? Which? tested four SPF30 single-application sun creams and saw an average 74% decrease in SPF protection over the course of the day. 

Is it worth the money? No. You’d be better off regularly reapplying Lidl’s good-value own-brand Cien Sun Lotion Classic SPF 30 (£3.49 for 230ml), a Which? Best Buy.

Piriteze and Clarityn: cheaper alternatives on the high street

Holidaymakers are also forking out for trusted brands when a cheaper, generic equivalent will do the job. Piriteze (£9.90 for 30) is a popular choice for allergy sufferers, but Asda's Hayfever and Allergy Relief tablets contain the exact same active ingredient (cetirizine hydrochloride) - and are 27p cheaper per tablet.

The same is true of Clarityn (£4.50 for 30) and Wilko's unbranded one-a-day 10mg tablets (£1.50 for 30), which both contain loratadine.

Professor Luigi Martini, chief scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, told us: 'Once the patent on the original version of the medicine runs out, other companies are free to make their own version - and, as they don't bear the original development costs, they can sell it much more cheaply.'

Imodium: paying for the brand

The same principle applies to other holiday staples, such as Imodium.

Costing £6 for 12 tablets, it's more than three times the price of other equivalents on the market - such as Wilko's Diarrhoea Relief capsules.

The unbranded version contains the same active ingredient, loperamide, but is just 85p for six.

Rehydration sachets: another solution

Rehydration sachets, such as Dioralyte (£3.79 for six), could be another product taking up unnecessary space in your suitcase. They claim to help with the fast and effective replacement of lost water and body salts.

However Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth, author of the Essential Guide to Travel Health, says the extra ingredients are 'rarely critical' for an ordinary case of traveller's diarrhoea.

Drinking plenty of clear fluids is a sufficient recovery plan for most adults, she told us, unless they are frail or suffering from underlying health problems. In that instance, rehydration sachets may help travellers to feel better sooner.

But making up your own solution - with two heaped teaspoons of sugar and a three-finger pinch of salt in a large glass of boiled, cooled water - is another option.

Five tips to streamline your holiday medical kit

1. Check the active ingredient

Find the active ingredient on the packaging and look for other products that do the same thing for a lower price. If you’re unsure, ask a pharmacist for advice.

2. Compare authorisation numbers

Look for the marketing authorisation (‘product licence’ or ‘PL’) number. If this is the same on two products, they are the same medicine.

3. Question claims

Be wary of unspecific, meaningless claims such as ‘relieves’ or ‘soothes’.

4. Spot empty promises

Don’t be fooled by terms such as ‘clinically proven’ or ‘scientifically proven’ – these are meaningless, as all products have to be approved based on clinical and scientific research studies.

5. Decode wording

Question statements preceded by ‘can’, ‘may’ or ‘helps’. These allow manufacturers to avoid implying that the product will work for everyone all of the time.