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• Published date: 01 December 2022
• Publication title: Central Otago News

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said six out of 10 products tested did not provide the sun protection claimed

One product only gave low protection of SPF6 in Consumer NZ’s test, despite claiming high protection of SPF30.

The other five products were labelled as SPF50 or SPF50+, but Consumer NZ’s test found they did not meet these claims, returning SPFs from 16 to 42.

‘‘While these SPF ratings mean the sunscreens still provide moderate or high protection, our testing found they don’t provide the protection claimed on the label,’’ Ms Chetwin said.

She said four of the companies provided lab reports showing their products had been tested and met their label claims.

However, two reports were dated from 2015 and another was in 2013.

In response to Consumer NZ’s findings, Coola, one of the affected brands, has commissioned a review of its formula.

‘‘There’s no requirement for sunscreen manufacturers to regularly test. But, that’s what they should be doing to ensure their products continue to provide the protection claimed,’’ she said.

In its 2017 round of testing, Consumer NZ found only...