While Aussies are recommended to continue slip, slop, slapping away with their sunscreen use, sunscreen manufacturers in the country may soon need to reformulate their products to add safeguards regarding two active ingredients.
Products containing the active ingredients homosalate, oxybenzone, and the byproduct benzophenone may need to be reformulated “to ensure sunscreens meet the highest standards of safety for prolonged and frequent use”, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said on Tuesday.
The regulator has kicked off a comprehensive consultation on this front, that will run until August 12, to help determine the level at which these ingredients remain suitable for use in Australian sunscreens.
The news comes just weeks after CHOICE’s controversial report found some of Australia’s popular sunscreens are falling short of the SPF claims on their label.
According to the TGA, the latest consultation was prompted by the adoption of a new Australian sunscreen exposure model, the TGA’s ingredient review in February, and regulatory developments overseas.
A key health concern in evaluating the ingredients was that some could affect the body’s hormones over time in high doses.
Following a safety review of seven active sunscreen ingredients earlier this year, the TGA is recommending changes.
“Based on the data considered in this safety review, the TGA recommends regulatory controls for homosalate and oxybenzone to restrict their permitted concentrations and use in therapeutic sunscreens,” it said.
“The two main issues considered in this review were the evidence for the ability of these ingredients to penetrate the skin to reach viable cells systemically, and the potential toxicity exerted by them.”
Now, before anyone jumps to a dramatic spring clean of their cosmetics drawer, the TGA also reiterated this is not a message to stop using sunscreen. All sunscreens available in Australia are safe, it said, and should be a key line of defence when you’re out and about.
“The TGA is not recommending a change in the use of sunscreens, nor are there any warnings, bans or recalls of any products,” it stated.
“The expert clinical advice remains that the benefits of all sunscreens available in Australia continue to far outweigh any risks. Australians are urged to continue using sunscreen.”
Around 2,000 people die annually from skin cancer in Australia, with the country recording some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
How will this impact Aussie sunscreens?
A number of sunscreens available on Australian shelves — including those from popular brands like Cancer Council, Coles, Banana Boat, Neutrogena, and Woolworths — contain the active ingredients listed by the TGA, which could mean some changes ahead.
Coles, Woolworths and Cancer Council will work with its sunscreen suppliers to ensure products comply with resulting recommendations and regulatory changes. PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to the brands for comment.
The TGA’s new actions follow CHOICE’s controversial report back in June, which found just four of 20 popular sunscreens met their SPF 50 or 50+ claims. The brands named in the testing — which included Bondi Sands, Cancer Council and Banana Boat, among others — said they have their own independent testing that confirms their products are compliant with TGA standards and meet the SPF on their labels.
The worst performer, according to CHOICE’s testing, was Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen SPF50+ Mineral Mattifying Zinc Sunscreen, which returned a rating of SPF4. But Ultra Violette has refuted the results, saying this contradicts its own testing and could well be the result of human error.
CHOICE has released all of its test results publicly, and called on the TGA to launch a compliance review.
The TGA said in a statement it is investigating the findings and “will take regulatory action as required”.
Lead image:
The post Australia’s Top Sunscreen Brands May Need To Change Their Formulas Following A Review appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
