Two sunscreen products have officially been recalled by Australia’s sunscreen regulator over fears that they do not give the stated level of sun protection.
The TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) issued the recall notice on 26 September for Aspect Sun Physical Sun Protection SPF50+ and Aspect Sun Tinted Physical SPF50+.
“Consumers are advised that several sunscreen products are being recalled by sponsors,” the TGA said in the notice.
“This follows preliminary testing evidence indicating that the SPF levels of their products may be lower than what is claimed on their labels.”
Aspect Skincare voluntarily paused sales of both products in August while it conducted independent testing to verify the labelled SPF as a precautionary measure.
It was among a number of brands to stop selling some sunscreen products after an investigation by the Australian consumer watchdog Choice found that 16 of 20 brands failed to provide the level of sun protection factor advertised on their bottles.
This included sun care brand Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen Mineral Mattifying Skinscreen SPF50+, which returned an SPF of just 4, according to the report.
After Ultra Violette’s own tests found a “pattern of inconsistency” in its SPF results, the beauty brand announced that it would stop selling the product and offered customers refunds.
Other brands, including Aspect, followed and stopped 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.
In a post on Instagram announcing the recall, Aspect said: “To our valued Aspect community, as previously communicated on 29 August, Advanced Skin Technology voluntarily placed a pause on sales of our Aspect Sun Physical SPF products while an independent laboratory verified the labelled SPF rating.
“Although independent testing is not yet complete, preliminary results suggest that the SPF level of Aspect Sun Physical Sun Protection SPF50+and Aspect Sun Tinted Physical SPF50+ is unlikely to meet the labelled SPF rating.
“As a brand committed to sun safety and skin health, we are not satisfied with these outcomes and wish to act immediately.
“We have been working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and are now implementing an urgent recall on these products.
“No other products in the Aspect Sun range are impacted; these remain available for sale.”
Advanced Skin Technology is the owner of Aspect.
Consumers who purchased the affected items can return them for a refund.
Choice’s investigation prompted the TGA to launch an investigation into SPF testing methods.
In the recall notice, the TGA said that other sunscreens may be added to the list in the coming weeks.
A low SPF rating may increase the risk of sunburn during use and reduce the long-term effectiveness of preventing skin cancer, the TGA explained in the recall notice.
The scandal has rocked Australia, which has among the highest rates of skin cancer and is considered a world-leader in education efforts around SPF use as well as formulation innovation.
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