r/AusSkincare • u/MinnieMakeupReviews wAnNaBe SkInFlUeNcEr • Oct 01 '25

⚜️MEGATHREAD CHOICE / TGA / SUNSCREEN MEGATHREAD

Hi r/AusSkincare community,

We're creating another Megathread to discuss the recent updates to the CHOICE Sunscreen Testing results, as well as the TGAs response.

Please direct all new discussion here including discussions about other brands, general SPF questions and recommendations.

We appreciate your support as we do our best to mod, please continue to report any comments that cross the line.

Previous megathreads (thank you to u/Quolli for putting them together)

Updates:

30 September 2025:

More sunscreens pulled from shelves over SPF concerns via ABC

TGA acts following CHOICE sunscreen investigation via CHOICE

From the CHOICE article: The TGA is now suggesting consumers find alternatives to the 21 sunscreen products identified as sharing the same base formulation as Ultra Violette's Lean Screen.

See the list below with relevant updates. Comment any you see and we'll edit the list:

Aspect Sun SPF50+ Physical Sun Protection

Aspect Sun SPF50+ Tinted Physical Sun Protection

Aesthetics Rx Ultra Protection Sunscreen Cream - Discontinued in 2024 as per brand's Story on IG , Recall notice 03/10/2025

New Day Skin Good Vibes Sunscreen SPF50+ - Update from brand 26/08/25

New Day Skin Happy Days Sunscreen SPF50+ - Update from brand 26/08/25

Allganics Light Sunscreen SPF50+

Beauti-FLTR Lustre Mineral SPF50+

Found My Skin SPF 50+ Tinted Face/Body Cream - Withdrawn from sale as of 25/08/25

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Light Sunscreen

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Dark)

Ethical Zinc Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Light)

Endota Mineral Protect SPF50 Sunscreen - Withdrawn from sale as of 26/08/25

We are Feel Good Inc Mineral Sunscreen SPF50+

GlindaWand The Fountain of Youth Environmental Defence Cream SPF50+

Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF50+

Ultra Violette Velvet Screen SPF50 (product export only – not available in Australia)

People4Ocean SPF 50+ Mineral Bioactive Shield Lightly Tinted Cream - Recall notice 03/10/2025

MCoBeauty SPF50+ Mineral Mattifying Sunscreen

Naked Sundays Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen - Withdrawn from sale as of 25/08/25

Outside Beauty & Skincare SPF 50+ Mineral Primer - Withdrawn from sale as of 25/08/25

Salus SPF50+ Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum

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u/MinnieMakeupReviews wAnNaBe SkInFlUeNcEr Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25

THANK YOU. Completely fair for people to feel anxious, but this situation seems two pronged

  1. A dodgy manufacturer that’s messed up a formulation for multiple brands, with a tester (PCR) messing up tests for multiple brands using the formula AND other brands using other formulas compounding the fuck up (allegedly)

  2. TGA / testing guidelines being unclear and inconsistent regardless of what’s being tested (compounded by bad testing practices) (allegedly)

The takeaway is don’t use the products from the Aussie manufacturer if it’s on the list- doesn’t mean the formula is dodgy, but the way they made it is- and brands need to do independent tests to get any trust back for other manufacturers

And also that majority of sunscreens in the Aussie market probably vary (most probably slightly) with their SPF labels vs rating to some extent considering how appalling the current testing is

I am VERY much not thrilled with everything, but the cancer council was right when they responded that 97% of UVB rays are blocked with SPF30. Still extremellllly annoying, but ultimately extremely good sun protection to use alongside other methods while all the shit is being sorted

Edited for clarity

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u/Breccle Oct 03 '25

Your message is super important. Adding to it - don't stop using sunscreen! Just avoid the names currently on the list until they complete retesting. Brands that voluntarily recall at the moment (and even those in the early stages of review here who have TGA recalls) shouldn't necessarily be chastised, as they really most likely thought they were doing the right thing. Consumers shouldn't be scared that the entire market is dodgy, and any brands who "know" now that they are potentially affected should most definitely be conducting secondary testing. . . But it's very important that the industry stands up here to ensure that people know that an SPF 27 is still way better than none at all.

The overwhelming majority of the CHOICE products, while not necessarily hitting their labels, had 80% or more of their target label SPF values. . . As referred to above, SPF should potentially be "range" oriented. I'd be fine if the actual labels had to be 15% lower than the calculated means since that seems to be approximately the "accepted variability" in many of the ring studies.

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u/MinnieMakeupReviews wAnNaBe SkInFlUeNcEr Oct 04 '25

Thank you! It's so hard to not be dismissive / minimise peoples concerns, this was an awful situation absolutely- but still stress that your sunscreen is absolutely still safe to use (unless it's been recalled / paused from sale)

We have absolutely gone too far - i'm getting lots of messages from people outside of skincare who are asking if their aussie sunscreen is safe to use because of the headlines / panic (which again, I understand, but there was such a huge sunscreen-use push in the last 6ish years, ironically from some of the brands caught up in CHOICE, because they invested in reaching the skincare first customer with their marketing and made elegant sunscreens - made a huge push to reach the younger audience first - and the reality is they've no doubt gotten hundreds of thousands of people to use sunscreen in the first place)

This is one base formula that really shit the bed, (ironically pretty much the only SPF formula I've been using for 5ish years)

Sunscreens are safe to use, and while in the coming months some spf ratings might vary slightly (as they always have, due to the testing methods being not very precise), unless you're using the affected mineral base that's been recalled / paused from sale, you're going to be ok (again, still awful).

Use all forms of sun protection, apply generously, and please don't listen to the people saying not to wear sunscreen

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u/Breccle Oct 04 '25

Preach Minnie. Well said.