SPF 'confusion' as sunscreens under investigation not recalled

The TGA is still investigating 15 of the 16 sunscreens a Choice analysis found fell short of their SPF claims. (ABC News) The national medicines regulator is still investigating 15 out of 16 sunscreens Choice found failed to meet their SPF claims. The sunscreens have not been recalled, which was questioned in Senate estimates as being "confusing" for consumers. The TGA is consulting on a range of changes aimed at addressing key concerns with the industry. Link copiedShareShare articleAlmost all the sunscreens that failed to meet their SPF label claims are still being investigated by health authorities nearly a year later, with the nation's medicines regulator conceding the process has "taken a long time". The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) told a Senate estimates hearing this week it was still investigating 15 of the 16 sunscreens a Choice analysis found fell short of their SPF claims. Under questioning from independent Senator David Pocock, senior TGA official Avinash Clarke told the hearing the TGA intended to conclude the investigations soon. "I appreciate your point, Senator, that they have taken a long time," he said. "We did focus our efforts on those sunscreens that we thought were most unsafe." David Pocock says the delayed process is making it difficult for consumers to select a safe sunscreen. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) The TGA said the sunscreens had not been recalled while they were being investigated, meaning they could still be sold to consumers. Speaking after the hearing, Senator Pocock told the ABC the process had left Australians in the dark about what sunscreens they should purchase. "I certainly find it confusing, I am really not that sure what to buy next time I go to buy sunscreen and that is not the situation we want Australians to be in, in one of the countries that has some of the highest skin cancer rates in the world," he said. "This is the job of the TGA, and this is something that we absolutely have to ensure that we get it on top of soon." Ultra Violette Lean Screen was pulled from the market. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) The lowest performing sunscreen in the Choice testing was Ultra Violette's Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Sunscreen, which returned a rating of SPF 4. It was recalled in the wake of the consumer test results, alongside another 19 other sunscreens that shared the same base formula. But the TGA acknowledged that there was still no outcome from the investigation into the other 15 sunscreens, which did not meet their label claims. Of those, seven SPF 50 and SPF 50+ sunscreens returned results in the 20s. These sunscreens rated in the 20s in CHOICE's test last year, despite having SPF 50 or SPF50+ on their labels. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) Chief executive of sunscreen industry group ACCORD, Damian Mitsch, said: "We're concerned about the impact on consumer confidence in sunscreen that a year-long investigation has had." But he said it was "important consumers can trust the sunscreens they buy and that we don't recall products that are safe, effective and within scientifically acceptable limits." In defence of the time frame, TGA chief Tony Lawler said the regulator was taking a "risk-based" approach by triaging sunscreens tested by Choice, starting with those identified as being of the highest risk. "It's the intersection for us between our safety and quality and effectiveness, but also … the importance of Australians having ready and reasonable access to sunscreens that are effective and safe," Professor Lawler said. "At the same time as … the work that we're doing on the consultation around testing and labelling and looking at the safety of ingredients, we also recognise that to simply go through and pull all of the described sunscreens off the shelves would also not be in the best service of Australians." The proposals include a number of potential changes to SPF testing requirements for sunscreens listed for sale in Australia. Mr Clarke told the hearing that the TGA had to work through "a large volume of data around those products" and that there was known variability in SPF testing. He said sunscreens that had an SPF of lower than 50 still provided significant protection. "The SPF scale isn't a linear scale and so an SPF 30 for example may provide, still provides, 97 per cent protection from UV radiation compared to an SPF 50, which is 98 per cent," he said. The TGA recently completed a consultation period for a range of changes aimed at overhauling Australia's sunscreen regulations and addressing key concerns facing the country's sunscreen industry. "I really welcome the steps that the TGA has laid out in terms of a new framework for how they regulate sunscreens and SPF values," Senator Pocock said. The TGA is looking at a range of changes to overhaul Australia's sunscreen regulations. (iStockPhoto - CentralITAlliance) An ABC investigation last year revealed that at least half of the sunscreens that failed to meet their l

SPF 'confusion' as sunscreens under investigation not recalled

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