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Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world
Australia's sunscreen regulator has proposed sweeping reforms to the industry after a recent scandal saw dozens of popular brands pulled off shelves.
An experiment by a trusted consumer advocacy group last year found many Australian sunscreens were not providing the protection they claimed to, sparking public outrage in a country which is a skin cancer hotspot.
An investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation also alleged issues with a leading laboratory which test sunscreen efficacy and a manufacturer which made a common base formula.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has now announced plans to make sunscreen labelling simpler and introduce more oversight at testing labs.
"Proposals to improve and expand testing requirements, require accreditation for testing laboratories, and increase transparency will help restore consumer trust in the reliability of SPF claims," said Andy Kelly from Choice, the group which authored the report at the centre of the saga.
"It's vital that consumers can rely on SPF claims when purchasing products to protect their skin from the harsh Australian sun."
About 2,000 people die from skin cancer and melanoma every year in Australia while an estimated two out of three Australians will have at least one skin cancer removed in their lifetime.
Sunscreens are categorised as medicines in Australia and are monitored once they are on the market rather than being assessed by regulators before they reach it.
Despite the country already having some of the strictest sunscreen regulations in the world, the TGA said the time was right for an overhaul.
The proposed changes will focus on improving the reliability and transparency of sun protection factor (SPF) testing, and the quality and efficacy of certain ingredients and formulas, with special focus given to cosmetic sunscreens that claim to have high sun protection.
Labelling will also be reviewed, with a proposal to remove the SPF number rating on products and replace them with low, medium, high and very high labels.
The safety of sunscreen ingredients will not be part of the review nor will products designed specifically for children.
The overhaul comes after a report by Choice last June found 16 of the 20 sunscreens they tested - including several premium, expensive brands - failed to live up to their advertised SPF rating.
In one instance, a product by Ultra Violette claimed to have an SPF rating of 50+, but testing showed it had an SPF of four, leading to a voluntary recall of the product.
The TGA's own investigation raised "significant concerns" about the SPF testing for almost two dozen products which shared the same base formula as Ultra Violette's Lean Screen and found they may not provide the level of protection claimed on the label.
However, Kelly said Choice did not support removing SPF number ratings.
"People are already familiar with the current SPF numbering system and it's used around the world. The numbers just need to be accurate."
But experts have previously raised concerns that sunscreen - and testing methods - both have a degree of variability and the current rating system does not allow for that.
"Some of the SPF testing, I feel, has become a bit more of a marketing exercise than a real reflection of efficacy," cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong told the BBC last year.
"95% of the sunscreens tested [by Choice] have high enough SPF to more than halve the incidence of skin cancer."
