For the second year in a row Consumer NZ has found that many sunscreens on the market do not give the protection claimed on the label.
The report reveals that nine out of 20 products tested – almost half – did not meet their label claims, with the Cancer Society being one big name that failed the latest round of testing.
As a result, the Cancer Society is voluntarily recalling all batches of its Everyday Sun Lotion SPF50+, which scored a maximum sun protection factor of 30.
Despite the tests conducted by Consumer NZ, Cancer Society chief executive Mike Kernaghan said that in independent tests its products had exceeded the SPF claims.
"We remain 100 per cent confident in the effectiveness of our sunscreen products because they are manufactured as a medicine in Australia and have been independently tested. I would like to reassure the public there is no health risk, because even at the lower level of SPF30 that batch still provides high protection,” Kernaghan said.
NIVEA was one brand that did live up to its claims, with the NIVEA SUN Protect & Moisture Moisturising Sunscreen Lotion SPF50+ passing both the SPF and broad spectrum protection requirements.
Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin urged the Government to start regulating sunscreens. “New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer and melanoma in the world but the sunscreen standard remains voluntary,” she said.
The test results can be found here.
