It was hard to miss the recent report from CHOICE that debated the alleged efficacy of some of Australia's biggest sunscreen brands. The conversation made its way to most dinner tables around the country, with many debating throwing away certain products and asking each other, what's next?
For us, the more interesting questions are: how are our sunscreens actually being tested? And why do CHOICE's results differ so much from what is listed on the label? We investigate.
Who tests sunscreens in Australia?
Any product listed in Australia as a 'sunscreen' and not a moisturiser has to be registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration – the Australian Government authority that is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods in Australia.
In order to be registered as an approved TGA sunscreen, you have to pass strict regulatory requirement. Any brand selling a sunscreen it wishes to register as a sunscreen must have this product tested in a TGA-accredited laboratory. RUSSH spoke to the TGA who verified this on the phone. The requirements for testing are outlined in the Australian regulatory guidelines for sunscreens. All results must be valid under the TGA requirements.
So, while brands are paying and arranging for the testing themselves, it is not done in-house. It has to be independently conducted at a facility that tests to the TGA standard. Yes, that SPF rating that you see on the label has been verified to the TGA testing guidelines.
According to this document outlining the Australian regulatory guidelines for sunscreens: "the claimed SPF of the therapeutic sunscreen must have been established by testing according to the method described in the Australian Sunscreen Standard."
It is also worth noting that random, post-market testing is regularly conducted by the TGA. "The TGA can conduct random or targeted post-market reviews to make sure that therapeutic sunscreens supplied in the market comply with our regulatory requirements. Post-market reviews happen after a sunscreen is available for people to buy."
How are sunscreens tested in Australia?
The current accepted method of testing sunscreens in Australia is via human subjects. Testing is not conducted on animals.
The tests involve applying the sunscreen and then using a UV light to see how long it takes for the skin to turn pink. Unfortunately, even the TGA admits there is the possibility of variability in results.
"It is a known issue that there is variability in SPF testing results across laboratories because testing on humans can be highly subjective and the response to a test can differ dramatically from one individual to another," said the TGA in a statement.
This is why its so critical when measuring SPF efficacy that a TGA-approved lab is used; to ensure there's as much consistency in the testing as possible.
How did CHOICE test its sunscreens?
In this instance, CHOICE did not test its sunscreens in-house. Instead it sent them to a lab to be tested. CHOICE has said that they used a TGA-approved facility although, it has not provided the name of the lab it used.
CHOICE said: "To determine which sunscreens meet their SPF claims, the tests took a panel of ten adult volunteers through a very specific process using each of the 20 sunscreens."
The brand also has a more in-depth article which explains how it tests its sunscreens.
There is room for error on both sides
For anyone wanting more information, Dr Michelle Wong of Lab Muffin Science shared a thorough video breakdown on the results.
Some important points she noted; the current method of testing sunscreen has a range of variability in results as it involves human skin which is assessed by simply "eyeballing". She also noted that the lab that CHOICE made the decision to use tends to get lower results than others TGA-approved facilities.
Wong pointed out that chemical sunscreens are more robust than mineral sunscreens. Sometimes the SPF of a sunscreen changes over time. It's not supposed to, but sometimes it can happen and it's more likely to happen with mineral sunscreen.
The TGA noted in a statement that new forms of more accurate testing could be on the way. "While progress is being made internationally toward in-vitro sunscreen testing (e.g. not on human subjects), which will improve consistency of results, these methods are not yet in place."
Wong confirmed in her video that two new testing methods were approved in late 2024, which will allow for more accuracy in testing and certainly less variability in the results between labs.
Ultimately, Wong says that one of the biggest efficacy problems with sunscreens is simply human error – meaning people are not applying enough to get the adequate protection. You should always use the recommended amount list on the bottle in order to get the best protection.
