Jo Raphael: Let's have clear rules about making sunscreens

OPINION:

The office banter has been on form lately.

But banter, as it inevitably does, turns to the weather. The subject is a classic go-to for ice-breakers and to fill awkward silences.

The recent unseasonably hot weather had us gabbing and has caught many off-guard - including a colleague who got so badly burnt she had to take several days off work to recover.

I certainly felt a great deal of sympathy for her, because I've been there.

I have a chequered personal track record of sun protection, taking a lackadaisical approach when I was younger, then regretting it each time when I was betrayed by my European heritage.

There have been many summer holidays ruined by sunburn.

There's no cure. You can take cold showers, slather on aloe vera and other home remedies and feel sorry for yourself but the only real treatment is time.

And while I took the good-natured comparisons to tomatoes and other jibes on the chin, the pain is real and it's miserable.

But the worst thing was the knowledge that my misery was preventable.

For me, having light skin prone to moles, being a natural redhead and living in New Zealand ticks just about every high-risk factor box for skin cancer and it's now something I've started to take seriously.

I'm on a perpetual hunt for a safe, effective sunscreen. And each summer I've had varying degrees of success. The exercise is expensive.

But it annoys me I have to play Russian Roulette with my skin on my quest. Why do I have to use the trial and error approach?

I was surprised to find out that, despite New Zealand having one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, we still don't have clear legislation around sunscreen safety standards.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller introduced a bill to Parliament ensuring all sunscreens sold in New Zealand meet current standards and provide the level of sun protection factor as advertised on labels. The bill passed its first reading in April.

Consumer New Zealand has concerns, saying the bill doesn't require regular product testing, and also does not require sunscreens to be classified as a therapeutic product - but it's a start.

Consumer New Zealand recently tested sunscreen protection claims. Nine products were tested and only six lived up to their labels, three did not, according to the survey.

This is not a good result. I believe it's unacceptable that even one product should fail these tests and still be allowed to be sold as a sunscreen.

To me, it's also ludicrous that the Australian and New Zealand standard is voluntary in New Zealand. This allows lots of wiggle room when it comes to making SPF claims.

The sooner sunscreen manufacturers have clear legislation to follow, the sooner Kiwis can make better-informed choices about the care of their skin.