Australian SPF Controversy Heats Up

The Australian controversy over discrepancies in SPF values has reached the US, following publication of an article in The New York Times. For the past several months, Happi reported on how a watchdog group, Choice, discovered several sunscreens did not provide the level of SPF protection listed on their labels.

More recently, the Therapeutic Goods Association raised concerns about the reliability of SPF testing performed by Princeton Consumer Research Corp (PCR Corp), a testing laboratory based in the United Kingdom. TGA, said on Tuesday that more than 20 sunscreens had been removed so far after tests showed they performed well below the claimed SPF of 50+. The agency linked the products to a base formulation made by a single manufacturer.

ABC Picks Up the SPF Controversy Story

The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) took to the airwaves earlier this week to report on sunscreens getting pulled from store shelves over SPF concerns. The recalls, which have expanded gradually over months, damaged the previously high level of consumer confidence in Australian sunscreen makers. They also raised concerns about the lack of direct regulation of the laboratories that test sunscreens’ SPF.

In yesterday’s NYT coverage, Dr. Steven Wang, a skin cancer expert and dermatologist in California, told the Times that the recalls in Australia should not immediately alarm US consumers because the Food and Drug Administration regulates sunscreens more stringently as an over-the-counter drug.