TGA proposes new sunscreen regulations following a shocking scandal that revealed Aussie brands failed SPF criteria

New sunscreen regulations have been proposed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) following a shocking scandal that revealed some Australian brands were reported by CHOICE testing to deliver lower SPF than labelled.

The TGA has proposed overhauling SPF testing in Australia and simplifying labels to low, medium, high or very high protection.

It will also address concerns about the quality, safety and effectiveness of specific sunscreen formulations and ingredients.

The regulator revealed in a report that SPF testing data from certain laboratories appeared unreliable and some product owners and manufacturers lacked an understanding about their legal obligations.

“Current understanding of SPF values, combined with the variability of test results, highlights the need for clearer SPF labelling to ensure that consumers can make informed decisions about their sun protection, and provide sponsors greater certainty of regulatory compliance,” a report stated.

The regulator also found current exemption rules for some cosmetic sunscreens have been described as complex.

Under the changes, the TGA wants to adopt new testing technologies faster, strengthen oversight of testing laboratories and improve quality assurance through regular testing and ingredients standards.

A TGA spokesman said these proposals were intended to strengthen confidence in sunscreen performance.

“Given Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer and melanoma in the world with around 2000 people dying each year, it is critical that the regulatory settings are appropriate to ensure consumer confidence in sunscreens,” a spokesman said.

Consumer group CHOICE delivered a report last year, claiming it tested 20 popular SPF50 and SPF50+ sunscreens and found 16 of them fell short of the protection they advertised.

The consumer group tested the products with experts in an accredited sunscreen lab, with four products returning SPF results in the 40s, four in the 30s, and seven in the 20s.

In one example, the Banana Boat Baby Zinc Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+ tested at 28, while the Coles SPF 50+ Sunscreen Ultra Tube tested at 43.

Ultra Violette’s Australian Sunscreen’s lean screen 50+ matifying zinc sunscreen was tested and returned a result of just SPF4.

The company, which sells its products at Sephora, shared an Instagram post a month earlier boasting about how much it cost to test their “skin screens.”

“Do you know how SPF is actually tested? Making our SKINSCREENS can cost up to $150K in testing alone (sorry to our CFO!!!)” the post stated.

“We take the integrity of our products pretty damn seriously – no cutting corners here.

“We ensure you have the best protection (from both UVA and UVB), *and* the added skincare benefits to match, no matter where in the world you are.

The TGA is reviewing these findings and responded to the report, saying it would investigate CHOICE’s findings and take “regulatory action as required”.