Experts have welcomed plans to strengthen sunscreen testing and manufacturing standards but warn that better regulation alone won't address Australia's skin cancer burden.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is moving to tighten sunscreen regulations following concerns about the reliability of SPF claims, with experts backing tougher testing requirements while warning that access to skin cancer services and consumer education remain critical.
The regulator announced this week that it was developing reforms to strengthen sunscreen testing, introduce additional ingredient quality requirements and clarify manufacturers’ responsibilities.
The changes aim to restore consumer confidence in sunscreen performance after testing last year revealed that some products failed to deliver their advertised sun protection factor (SPF).
The proposed reforms follow a public consultation conducted between March and May 2026, which attracted almost 120 submissions from industry, testing laboratories, health professionals, consumer groups, and academics.
Under the changes, the TGA will strengthen testing requirements to improve the reliability of SPF claims and develop quality standards for specific sunscreen ingredients.
It will also review good manufacturing practice guidance and limit the SPF claims permitted for cosmetic sunscreens, creating a clearer distinction between products primarily intended for UV protection and those with a secondary sunscreen function.
Further consultation on SPF labelling will take place before any changes are introduced.
Associate Professor Anna Wang, from the School of Chemistry at UNSW Sydney, welcomed the proposed changes, saying increasingly sophisticated sunscreen formulations presented significant technical challenges.
“We ask a lot of our sunscreens – to feel good, to be stable, to be invisible, but still protect us from the sun,” she said.
“Everyone wants to enjoy summer and stay safe and sunscreens are a really great way to protect our skin’s DNA from UV damage.”
Associate Professor Wang said some established formulations performed reliably, while newer products pushed the boundaries of what was technically achievable.
“It’s like asking for a cake to be sugar-free, flour-free, egg-free, oil-free, last for a week outside the fridge, and still be delicious. It’s tough!
“These more stringent testing conditions will help us make sure all our sunscreens can do what they promise, which is to keep us safe.”
However, Associate Professor Wang cautioned against consumers becoming overly concerned about small differences in SPF ratings.
“In Australia we have several hundred formulations to choose from so it can be confusing. What we saw last year is that some of the products didn’t perform as well as promised,” she said.
“But consumers shouldn’t get too caught up in the specific numbers because for most scenarios SPF 30 works as well to protect us as SPF 50 – there is a difference, but it is a pretty small one.”
She said correct application and regular reapplication were likely to have a greater impact on sun protection than minor variations in laboratory SPF results.
“What is going to make a bigger impact isn’t whether a sunscreen tests SPF 45 using one method and SPF 40 using another, but how often we reapply, and whether we put the recommended amount on,” she said.
“The TGA’s proposed changes also aim to improve consumer understanding and behaviour around sunscreen use, and I welcome that.”
Professor Leigh Kinsman, lead investigator at the RISE4SkinCancer Consortium and the Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research at La Trobe University, said stronger sunscreen regulation was important but would not deliver immediate improvements in skin cancer outcomes.
He warned that rural and regional Australians continued to face disproportionate rates of skin cancer alongside significant barriers to specialist care.
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“Melanoma and other skin cancers are major health issues across Australia, with a disproportionate impact on rural and regional communities,” Professor Kinsman said.
“In the Loddon Mallee region, for example, the melanoma rate is 63% higher than the state average.”
Professor Kinsman said the benefits of stronger sunscreen regulation would take years to translate into reduced demand for healthcare services.
“Stronger sunscreen regulation is important, but its benefits will take years to affect demand on health services,” he said.
“In the meantime, people in rural and regional areas often have limited access to healthcare, particularly specialist services such as dermatology.”
He said improving sunscreen performance needed to be accompanied by measures to improve timely access to skin cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“Improving sunscreen protection is one part of the response; we also need to help people access the right care promptly, without unnecessary delays.”
Professor Kinsman said the Medical Research Future Fund-supported RISE4SkinCancer Consortium was working to improve local skin cancer care across Victoria’s Loddon Mallee region, including recruiting GPs to collaborate with patients, health professionals, researchers, and policymakers.
The TGA said Australia had the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, making reliable sunscreen protection a critical public health priority.
The regulator said it was engaging academic and industry experts to inform the reforms, which were intended to strengthen product quality, safety and efficacy while ensuring manufacturers understood their regulatory obligations.
The changes remain under development, with further consultation planned before any proposed SPF labelling reforms proceed.
