The best bathroom downlight is IP65 rated, fire-rated, warm white at 3000K, dimmable, and one of four to six rather than one of twelve. Buy that specification from Astro or Collingwood, fit it outside the shower unless it is rated for zone 1, and put the mirror light on its own switch. That is the whole shopping list. Everything below is the reasoning, and the mistakes we see every week.
Downlights are the most bought and most misused fitting in the British bathroom. Bought, because they are cheap, tidy and take up no room. Misused, because a grid of them on one switch is a lift lobby, not a bathroom, and because half the ones sold for bathrooms are not rated for the bit of the bathroom they end up in. We have sold lighting for 41 years and we still get the call where somebody has fitted nine 4000K downlights over a bath and cannot work out why the room feels like a dental surgery.
The specification that matters, in order
| Spec | What to buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| IP rating | IP65 | Legal minimum over the bath or shower is IPX4; IP65 gives a margin against steam and cleaning sprays and costs almost nothing extra. Our IP65 vs IP44 guide explains the digits |
| Fire rating | Fire-rated (30, 60 or 90 minute) | A hole cut in a ceiling under another room breaks its fire resistance. A fire-rated downlight seals it again. Required under Approved Document B where the ceiling is part of a fire-resisting floor |
| Colour temperature | 3000K | Clean enough to keep white tiles white, warm enough to belong to a home. 4000K is the single commonest reason a bathroom looks clinical |
| Colour rendering | CRI 80 minimum, 90 if the LED is built in | The mirror is where you judge your own face. Low CRI makes everyone look tired. See what CRI is |
| Dimming | Dimmable, on a compatible dimmer | A bathroom at 6am and a bathroom at 11pm are different rooms. Dimming is the cheapest way to have both |
| Lamp | GU10 replaceable, or integrated LED with a long warranty | The honest trade-off below |
| Size | Small cut-out, slim bezel | A 68mm to 100mm fitting sits nearly flush and reads as a dot of light, not a fixture |
GU10 or integrated LED: the honest trade-off
A GU10 downlight is a housing you drop a standard bulb into. An integrated downlight has the LED sealed in. The trade-off is straightforward and both sides have a case.
- GU10 wins on repair. When the lamp fails in year six you swap a bulb, not a fitting, and you can change the colour temperature or brightness by changing the bulb. Astro's Minima and Trimless housings are the ones we sell most, for that reason.
- Integrated wins on output, efficiency and warranty. A Collingwood H2 Pro puts out more light from less power than any GU10 bulb, carries a seven-year warranty and a rated life of 70,000 hours to 70 per cent output. The catch is that when it does fail, the whole fitting comes out.
- Our call: for most homeowners refitting one bathroom, GU10, because the running costs are indistinguishable at bathroom hours and the day you need to change one you will be glad of it. For a whole-house refit with an electrician on site, integrated, because the warranty is long and the output per fitting means fewer holes.
What we would overrule you on is the cheap integrated downlight with a two-year warranty and no published lumen figure. When it fails it takes the ceiling with it, and it fails.
Which downlights can go over the bath or shower
A UK bathroom is divided into zones under the wiring regulations, BS 7671. Directly over the bath or shower tray, up to 2.25 metres from the floor, is zone 1, and anything fitted there needs a minimum of IPX4, or IPX5 where water jets are used for cleaning. The 0.6 metre band around that is zone 2, also IPX4 minimum. Inside the bath or shower itself is zone 0, which is 12V and IPX7 only, and no downlight belongs there. Outside those zones the regulations set no minimum, which is where a lot of ordinary IP20 downlights legally live.
So an IP65 downlight is cleared for zones 1 and 2, and that is why we say buy IP65 for the whole room rather than mixing rated and unrated fittings and hoping the electrician remembers which is which. Astro's Minima Slimline and Collingwood's H2 range are IP65 throughout. The full zone map, with the RCD and electrician questions, is in bathroom lighting zones and IP ratings.
Do bathroom downlights need to be fire-rated?
If there is a room above the bathroom, yes. The ceiling is part of the floor between two storeys, and under Part B of the Building Regulations that floor has to hold back fire for a set time, usually 30 minutes in a two-storey house, 60 minutes for flats with floors between 5 and 10 metres up, and 90 minutes for the tallest blocks and deep basements. Cutting a hole for a downlight breaks that. A fire-rated downlight carries an intumescent pad that swells in heat and seals the hole, and it is tested to the same 30, 60 or 90 minutes under BS 476-21 or BS EN 1365-2.
If the bathroom is under a loft or a flat roof with nothing above, the regulation is not triggered. We would still fit fire-rated, because the good ones are also sealed against draughts and steam getting into the ceiling void, and the price difference is now trivial. One thing to check on the box: the rating depends on the ceiling type. Astro's Minima Slimline is rated 30, 60 and 90 minutes through a solid joist ceiling but 30 minutes through a metal web joist; Collingwood's H2 Pro is 30, 60 and 90 in solid timber and 30 in I-joist and metal web. Know what your ceiling is made of before you trust the number.
Downlights or spotlights: are they the same thing?
In a shop they are two aisles. In a UK bathroom search they are the same word, and the fittings people mean are usually the same recessed dot. Strictly, a downlight is recessed into the ceiling and points down; a spotlight sits on the surface and can be aimed. Surface spots have a place in a bathroom, over a mirror where you want to throw light at a face, or in a flat with a concrete ceiling that cannot be cut. Astro's Aqua is an IP44 surface spot built for exactly that. For everything else, recessed. A bar of three chrome spots in the middle of a bathroom ceiling is the fitting most likely to be the first thing a new owner removes.
How many, and where
Fewer than you think. Four to six in an average family bathroom, two or three in an ensuite, spaced so each one lights a job rather than a square of floor: one over the shower, one or two along the bath, one at the loo, none directly over the basin. That last one matters. A downlight straight above the mirror drops shadow into the eye sockets, which is why the mirror gets its own light at face height and its own switch. The full spacing method, with a table by room size, is in how many downlights does a bathroom need, and the mirror is in bathroom mirror and vanity lighting.
The bathroom downlights we would fit
- Astro Minima Slimline Round: the default. IP65, fire-rated, a 100mm face that sits almost flush, takes a 6W GU10 and dims if the lamp does. Matt white disappears into a painted ceiling. There is a square version if the tiles are square.
- Astro Trimless Slimline: the same idea with no visible bezel; it is plastered in so the light seems to come from the ceiling itself. For the bathroom you have spent money on.
- Astro Pinhole Slimline: a tiny aperture, so the source is nearly invisible when off. Same IP65 and fire rating.
- Collingwood H2 Lite: the integrated LED at a sensible price, IP65, fire-rated, dimmable, and the one to buy in quantity for a whole floor.
- Collingwood H2 Pro: the integrated LED with the long warranty and the switchable colour temperature, so you can set 2700K or 3000K on the fitting. Order the bezel separately.
- Astro Void or Vancouver: when you want the downlight to look like a piece of design, in polished chrome or with a deep anti-glare cowl.
Whichever you choose, buy every downlight in the room at the same colour temperature and from the same range, and buy the mirror light to match. Mixed downlights are the second commonest reason a bathroom looks wrong at night, after 4000K. And remember that the fitting is only half of it: a good bathroom is downlights for the wash, wall lights for the face and one warm source for the bath, not a ceiling doing all three. The complete guide to bathroom lighting lays out the scheme.
The short version
- Buy IP65, fire-rated, 3000K, dimmable. That specification covers every zone you are allowed to put a downlight in.
- GU10 for one bathroom you may live with for a decade; integrated for a whole-house refit with a long warranty.
- Fire-rated is required where there is a room above. Check the rating against your ceiling type, not just the headline minutes.
- Four to six downlights, one per job, none directly over the basin. The mirror gets its own light and its own switch.
- Same range, same Kelvin, throughout the room. Mixed downlights are why bathrooms look wrong at night.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need special downlights for a bathroom?
Yes, over the bath or shower and within 0.6 metres of it. Zones 1 and 2 under BS 7671 need a minimum of IPX4, so an IP44 or IP65 downlight. Outside those zones an ordinary downlight is legal, but we advise IP65 throughout so steam and cleaning sprays are never a problem and nobody has to remember which fitting is which.
Is IP65 good for a bathroom?
Yes. IP65 is dust-tight and protected against water jets, which is more than the IPX4 minimum for zones 1 and 2. It is the sensible rating for every downlight in a bathroom, including directly over the shower. It is not for zone 0, inside the bath or shower tray, which needs 12V and IPX7.
Do bathroom downlights need to be fire-rated?
If there is a room above the bathroom, yes: the ceiling is part of a fire-resisting floor under Building Regulations Part B, and a fire-rated downlight seals the hole for 30, 60 or 90 minutes depending on the building. Under a loft or flat roof it is not required, but we still recommend it for the seal against steam and draughts.
What colour temperature should bathroom downlights be?
3000K. It keeps white tiles and sanitaryware looking white without tipping the room into the cool 4000K light that makes bathrooms look clinical. Use the same Kelvin number on every fitting in the room, including the mirror light.
Are spotlights suitable for bathrooms?
Recessed spotlights, which most people mean by the word, are the same thing as downlights and are suitable if they carry the right IP rating for the zone. Surface-mounted spot bars are less flattering in a bathroom and should be IP44 at least; Astro's Aqua range is built for it. Recessed is the better choice for most rooms.
What is the best downlight for a bathroom?
For a replaceable GU10, the Astro Minima Slimline: IP65, fire-rated, near-flush and available round or square. For an integrated LED, the Collingwood H2 Lite for value or the H2 Pro for the seven-year warranty and switchable colour temperature. Both are IP65 and fire-rated.
How many downlights do I need in a bathroom?
Four to six in an average family bathroom and two or three in an ensuite, placed one per job: shower, bath, loo. Do not put one directly over the basin; light the mirror from the sides at face height instead. Our separate guide covers the spacing by room size.
