Australia is currently experiencing a sunscreen scandal that has rocked the country and sparked widespread alarm. Consumers have a right to know what’s safe, effective and best for their skin. A recent investigation by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found critical defects, leading to the recall of several dozen products. Australia should be under huge scrutiny considering its dangerously high skin cancer rates, the highest in the world. As a result, two out of three Australians will have at least one skin cancer removed during their lifetime.
Additionally, the TGA has expressed concerns that some sunscreens are no longer reliable. This is surprising, particularly since Australia has one of the strictest sunscreen monograph regulations in the world. The agency found 21 other products that all have the same base formula—showing that they can’t possibly be very protective. Unfortunately, Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen Skinscreen SPF 50+ turned up as a SPF 4 in need of retest during our preliminary test. As a consequence, the enterprise launched a voluntary recall earlier last month.
Altogether, 18 sunscreen products have been removed from Australian shelves due to these alarming safety concerns. Additionally, the sale of another 10 products has been placed on hold pending further investigation, with two other products still under review. Curiously, one of the 21 products singled out in the investigation was produced in Australia but not marketed or sold there.
The TGA has recently raised “serious concerns” about a testing laboratory used to support these sunscreen formulations. Their preliminary testing suggests that the base formulation used in many of these products is “unlikely to have an SPF greater than 21,” raising serious questions about consumer safety.
“The TGA has also written to PCR Corp regarding its concerns and has not received a response.”
This increasing scrutiny follows a consumer advocacy group’s analysis conducted in June, which found that several popular and expensive sunscreens failed to deliver the sun protection promised by their manufacturers. The implications of the findings have triggered a consumer outcry of unprecedented levels. Millions more rely on these products, like sunscreens, to shelter themselves from dangerous UV rays.
Even as the investigation continues, consumers and public health officials are demanding that manufacturers make products that are safe. Public health experts, including the Cancer Council Australia, have strongly advocated for using effective sunscreens, especially given Australia’s catastrophic skin cancer rates.