Cancer survivor fights to axe the U.K.'s sunscreen tax. Should Canada do the same?

When Jessica Zbinden-Webster was diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 26, it upended everything she thought she knew about sun safety.

"I had always mistakenly assumed that skin cancer was a disease that exclusively affected older people and people who had used sunbeds to excess and who had sun bathed to excess," the West Sussex, U.K., woman told As It Happens guest host Paul Hunter.

"And now, of course, I'm living proof that it can happen to anyone at any time."

Now recovered, Zbinden-Webster is on a mission to convince the U.K. government to scrap its 20 per cent tax on sunscreen. Canadian cancer organizations told CBC this country should also consider making sunscreen tax-free.

"Affordability is particularly important because effective sun protection is not a one-time purchase. Sunscreen needs to be applied generously and reapplied at least every two hours during sun exposure," Falyn Katz, CEO of Melanoma Canada, said in an email.

"For families, outdoor workers and people spending significant time outdoors, the cost can add up quickly. Those costs can create an additional barrier for lower-income Canadians."

Zbinden-Webster's cancer journey began in 2018, when she developed what she thought was an unsightly pimple beneath her right eye.

"I had a lot of pimples growing up and that extended into my 20s," she said. "I thought, 'Oh goody, another one to deal with.'"

"One morning, I was sat at my desk and I rubbed the skin on my eye, where the pimple was, and it began to bleed. And that was my red flag. That prompted me to visit my doctor the following day," she said.

She had infiltrative basal cell carcinoma, an aggressive, but highly treatable, form of skin cancer that is often hard to detect, but can burrow deep beneath the surface.

The Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on any exposed skin any time you're outside.

"I actually only used sunscreen the way most Brits use sunscreen, which is as a seasonal product. I would use it during the summer months and I would also use it more frequently when on holiday," Zbinden-Webster said.

That's changed. Now that she's cancer-free after a successful surgery, Zbinden-Webster uses sunscreen every day.

Non-prescription sunscreen in the U.K. is classified as a cosmetic product, and subject to a 20 per cent value-added tax (VAT).