The maker of Imperial Leather said its St Tropez fake tan range had helped deliver a golden glow to first-half figures after securing supermodel Kate Moss as the face of the brand.

PZ Cussons hailed a "particularly robust" performance from its UK arm, boosted by its St Tropez range after bringing the top model on board as brand ambassador at the start of the summer, as well as a raft of new products.

It posted a 7.9% rise in underlying pre-tax profits to £47.6 million for the half-year to November 30, with earnings at its UK and European business up 8.1% at £25.3m.

The group relaunched its Imperial Leather Foamburst shower range in the first half, while also expanding its Original Source and Cussons Mum & Me ranges, including Little Explorers products for children.

It saw "good progress" across all four of its UK beauty brands, including St Tropez, which extended its reach in overseas markets, such as the United States, Canada and Germany.