Australians face a sunscreen crisis as a consumer watchdog revealed many popular brands failed SPF claims. This led to product recalls and a TGA investigation, uncovering a defective base formula in at least 21 products. Some sunscreens claiming SPF 50 tested as low as SPF 4.2, prompting health authorities to urge caution and vigilance.
As summer approaches, Australians are facing an unsettling question: which sunscreens can they actually trust?What began as a consumer watchdog test revealing that many popular sunscreens failed to meet their claimed SPF levels has now escalated into a national scandal- prompting widespread product recalls, halted manufacturing, and a formal investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
In June, Choice, an independent consumer advocacy group, tested 20 popular sunscreens and found that 16 failed to meet their labelled SPF claims. Only one product achieved the advertised level of protection.“All but one of the sunscreens tested by Choice returned an SPF of 24 or higher,” the organization reported, but this was far below the “SPF 50” many labels had promised.
The revelations sparked confusion and concern among consumers, especially as summer neared. Many began questioning whether the SPF printed on sunscreen bottles could still be trusted.
The controversy, according to experts, involves two critical but distinct issues- public health protection and...
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