More sunscreen brands have paused sales of some of their products in Australia over concerns that they may not offer consumers the stated levels of SPF.
Outside Beauty & Skincare, Aspect, Found My Skin and Endota are the latest companies to act after an investigation by the Australian consumer watchdog Choice brought the issue to light.
The group’s testing in June found that 16 of 20 brands failed to provide the level of sun protection factor advertised on their bottles.
This included Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen Mineral Mattifying Skinscreen SPF50+, which returned an SPF of just 4, found the report.
After Ultra Violette’s own tests found a “pattern of inconsistency” in its SPF results, the beauty brand announced last month that it would stop selling the product and offered customers refunds.
Other brands have now chosen to stop selling some of their products as a precaution, although they were not among those tested by Choice.
Ultra Violette used a third-party manufacturer for its Lean Screen.
Third-party manufacturers make products for multiple brands which can range from white-labelling to custom specification.
Naked Sundays has since followed Ultra Violette with a temporary pause on sales of its Naked Sundays Collagen Glow Mineral.
In a statement on the brand’s website on 25 August, it said: “We have paused the mineral from sale in Australia out of precaution, while we await new, complete independent SPF results, and subsequent guidance from the TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration] on their investigation into SPF testing.”
Outside Beauty & Skincare Mineral Primer SPF50+ has been removed from sale, the Australian brand said on its website.
“With the utmost safety and concern for our customers, we have momentarily removed the SPF 50+ Mineral Primer from our website while we investigate the efficacy and stability of this product,” read the brand’s statement
“In light of recent events, it has come to our attention that this formula has similar active ingredient concentrations as another brand that has had variable SPF testing results.
“We have received no information or evidence to suggest these formulas are identical or the same, and are not privy to discuss our manufacturing processes.
“Your skin protection is our number one priority, so while we get to the bottom of this to see if there is an issue, we have decided to be extra cautious and stop selling this product voluntarily.”
The brand also clarified that the product has not been recalled, and that a recall notice sent out on Monday 25 August by the Australian online retailer Adore Beauty was “in error”.
“We would like to ensure that the product has not been recalled at this time, and we have not received any notification from the TGA to initiate a recall,” said Outside Beauty & Skincare on its website
“To protect our customers, we decided to stop the sale of the SPF 50+ Mineral Primer, a decision that was done voluntarily and as a complete precaution.
“We apologise for any alarm Adore Beauty's notification may have caused while we wait for more information from efficacy and stability testing.”
Aspect has also paused sales of two sunscreens as a precaution.
In a statement on its website, Aspect said: “We have paused sales of Aspect Sun SPF50+ Physical Sun Protection and Aspect Sun SPF50+ Tinted Physical Sun Protection while an independent laboratory verifies the labelled SPF.
“This measure has been implemented as a precautionary action to ensure the utmost safety. There is no recall in place at this time.
“We take responsibility for the products we make, and we want our customers to feel confident using them every day.”
The company added that it will publish the findings on its website and a summary with any next steps.
“If the results indicate further action, including a recall, we will act immediately,” it added.
Found My Skin’s SPF50+ Tinted Face/Body Cream and Endota’s Mineral Protect SPF50 and Natural Clear Zinc SPF50+ have also been pulled from shelves, according to an update from Choice.
These products were unavailable on the brands’ respective websites.
Cosmetics Business has contacted both brands for comment.
TGA investigation
Choice’s investigation prompted the TGA – Australia’s sunscreen regulator – to launch an investigation into testing methods.
In its most recent statement on the issue on 21 August, the organisation said: “The TGA’s investigation is ongoing and is currently focused on a comprehensive review and analysis of the high volume of data received from sponsors.
“Given the complexity and scale of the material involved, this process will take time.”
The TGA said it is exploring alternatives to the widely used testing method ISO 24444:2019, Cosmetics – Sun protection test methods – In vivo determination of the sun protection factor (SPF).
This method involves testing on human skin and uses a visual estimation of skin response, which can vary.
“The TGA is currently reviewing existing SPF testing requirements,” the TGA added.
“In doing so, the TGA is exploring alternative test methods that may be more reliable, including in vitro test methods.”
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