Call for sunblock probe
Consumer NZ is calling for an investigation after its testing found seven sunscreens failed to live up to their sun protection promises.
The consumer watchdog has lodged a complaint with the Commerce Commission about the products, all of which failed to meet their SPF (sun protection factor) claims. Three also failed to meet their broad-spectrum claims.
The seven sunscreens include Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena Beach Defence Water + Sun Barrier Lotion Sunscreen SPF50.
In 2017, Johnson & Johnson New Zealand signed court enforceable undertakings with the commission that products sold in New Zealand would meet the voluntary sunscreen standard.
Consumer NZ said Johnson & Johnson had failed to fulfil this obligation after testing of the Neutrogena sunscreen at two different laboratories found it failed to meet its SPF claim.
‘‘New Zealanders should be able to trust the sun protection claims on the sunscreens they buy, which is why we are holding these seven sunscreen companies to account,’’ Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer and melanoma in the world, but there is no requirement for sunscreen manufacturers to regularly test their products or even test them at all. The Australian and New Zealand sunscreen standard is voluntary, and manufacturers don’t have to regularly test their products.
Duffy said that wasn’t good enough. ‘‘There needs to be a mandatory standard for sunscreens. Given the number of failures we’ve seen, it’s clear they should be required to [test regularly].’’
Consumer NZ asked the seven companies for the evidence they were using to back up their SPF claims. Three relied on test reports from US lab AMA Laboratories: Ecosol Water Shield Sunscreen SPF50+, Natural Instinct Invisible Natural Sunscreen SPF30 and Sukin Suncare Sheer Touch Facial Sunscreen Untinted SPF30.
In 2019, the owner of AMA Laboratories was arrested on fraud charges for reporting false test results from 1987 to April 2017.
These charges were made by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Food and Drug Administration. The owner is defending the charges. However, four AMA staff members, including its technical director and clinical laboratory director, have pleaded guilty.
Consumer NZ said companies that continued to rely on test results from AMA Laboratories did not have adequate grounds to substantiate their claims, which could amount to a breach of the Fair Trading Act.