All you need to know about sunscreen and how to stay safe this summer as SPF testing gets revealed. Video / NZ Herald
Seven out of eight sunscreens failed to meet the SPF claims made on their label in the latest round of Consumer NZ testing.
Cancer Society Kids Pure Sun Lotion SPF50 was the only sunscreen that met its SPF label claim.
The remaining seven products - which all claimed to be SPF50+ - did not meet the claims made on their label. To use the SPF50+ label, a sunscreen must achieve an SPF of 60 or above.
However, they did provide high SPF protection of (SPF30 or higher). All eight sunscreens also met the broad-spectrum protection requirements.
Countdown, the Cancer Society and Invisible Zinc's distributor provided test results which supported their label claims.
The Cancer Society also confirmed its Everyday Sun Lotion SPF50+ was the same formulation as a batch that had been tested by Consumer NZ in 2020 and met its label claim.
"It's not uncommon for there to be variation between our test results and the reports provided by companies," Castles said.
Companies didn't have to regularly test their sunscreens to make sure different batches met protection claims.
Testing was also conducted on humans so there would always been variability. Storage conditions also mattered - sunscreens deteriorated over time especially if kept in hot conditions, Castles said.
Consumer NZ said Sun Bum provided a technical report to substantiate its SPF claim, but it was based on a sunscreen with the same active ingredients, but different preservatives.
Nivea's owner Beiersdorf gave information on the labs that tested their sunscreens but did not provide test reports or testing dates.
Banana Boat's distributor also declined to provide a test report. Banana Boat Simply Protect Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF50+ had been discontinued and was unlikely to be widely available, it said.
This was Consumer NZ's second round of sunscreen testing - the first batch of results was published in December, with six out of nine products meeting their label claims. A third batch of sunscreens will be tested later this year.
Sunscreens are essential kit for Kiwis - but they don't always live up to the claim on the label. Photo / 123RF
New sunscreen law 'should be an interim measure'
Earlier in March Parliament passed the Sunscreen (Product Safety Standards) Bill into law.
Currently sunscreen standards are voluntary, meaning sunscreen could be sold in New Zealand without going through any testing to see if it did what it claimed on the label.
The new law means from September sunscreens will be regulated under the Fair Trading Act.
It will be mandatory for products to meet the Australian and New Zealand sunscreen standard, with breaches copping fines of up to $600,000.
Consumer NZ supports the law change, but Castles said regulating sunscreens under the Fair Trading Act should be an interim measure.
"Sunscreens should be regulated as a therapeutic product – not a cosmetic – to bring New Zealand protections in line with Australia.
"Complying with the standard isn't enough. Sunscreens should be tested regularly to ensure different batches provide the claimed protection, which the standard doesn't require."
