The Australian Sunscreen Council has strengthened its role in national sunscreen safety policy following successful meetings with Federal Health representatives during the week commencing 7 September 2026, where Australian Sunscreen Council Director Joseph Mizikovsky presented evidence on 4-MBC & Homosalate safety concerns, Therapeutic Goods Administration sunscreen regulation and the importance of supporting Australian Made Zinc Sunscreen. ((9) Post | LinkedIn) Mizikovsky me

The Australian Sunscreen Council (ASC) is making available the analytical method used by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to identify and quantify residual benzene in sunscreen products. The method was released by the TGA under Freedom of Information and is attached below for members, manufacturers, contract laboratories and other interested parties. Benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens, but trace amounts can be introduced through raw materials, propellants or

Homosalate found at potentially harmful levels in more than 50% of Queensland children, as the TGA has already concluded it is no longer low risk at the currently permitted concentration.

In 2022 the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reviewed 17 UV filters and reached one central conclusion: no ecological risk assessment of sunscreen filters has ever been conducted, and regulators should carry one out. The report is a data-gap review, not a verdict on any ingredient. It is nonetheless cited as though it condemned mineral sunscreen. It does not. The report states that documented impacts of zinc oxide on corals are minimal, and that o

Australian Sunscreen Council members Dr Abhinandan Chowdhury and Joseph Mizikovsky analysed 924 therapeutic sunscreens in a world-first population-level study, finding every chemical-filter sunscreen contained multiple UV filters while safety assessments remain ingredient-specific.

With 4-MBC legally prohibited across Europe, now unlawful to supply at any point in the European chain, banned by name across the Gulf, systematically erased from major export markets in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, prohibited in Great Britain, and unapproved by the US FDA and Japan's MHLW, the international consensus is clear. In total, 4-MBC is now actively prohibited across 95 nations and 31 overseas territories, representing 126 distinct geographic jurisdictions world

A study of 166 pregnant women in Iran detected oxybenzone and related benzophenone UV filters in nearly all urine samples. Researchers reported that these chemicals may cross the placenta and found several associations with newborn measurements. However, the cross-sectional design cannot prove cause and effect. The findings are best understood as an early precautionary signal, not evidence that sunscreen causes harm during pregnancy, and the authors say larger studies are sti

About the Author Dr. Abhinandan "Rocky" Chowdhury Toxicologist | Risk Assessment Specialist | Expert in Topical Product Safety Dr. Rocky Chowdhury is the Toxicologist for the Australian Sunscreen Council, specialising in topical product safety, risk assessment, and regulatory toxicology. His work supports evidence-based sunscreen safety, ingredient transparency, and public education.

The Australian Sunscreen Council has obtained ten documents from the Therapeutic Goods Administration under Freedom of Information. We are making them publicly accessible here, as released. About this release In July 2026 the Australian Sunscreen Council received ten documents from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth), released under FOI reference 26-3100. They relate to the TGA's consideration of proposed poison-schedulin

The organic chemical filters in roughly two thirds of Australian sunscreens were never proven to prevent skin cancer, a 2021 review argues. Octocrylene appears in 600 of 924 Australian sunscreen products (64.9%), and the authors say none of the long-approved organic filters has the human evidence to back the cancer-prevention promise on the label. DiNardo JC, Downs CA (2021) Failure to Protect: Do Sunscreens Prevent Skin Cancer in Humans? Toxicology: Open Access 7: 1000157. I

About the Author Dr. Abhinandan "Rocky" Chowdhury Toxicologist | Risk Assessment Specialist | Expert in Topical Product Safety Dr. Rocky Chowdhury is the Toxicologist for the Australian Sunscreen Council, specialising in topical product safety, risk assessment, and regulatory toxicology. His work supports evidence-based sunscreen safety, ingredient transparency, and public education.

The Australian Sunscreen Council welcomes Dr Leslie Laquieze, PharmD, PhD, MBA, and Mgr. Mehrdad Mirzaei as new expert members, strengthening the Council’s scientific expertise in sunscreen testing, photoprotection, skin barrier science, organic UV filters, dermocosmetic claim substantiation and evidence-based sunscreen safety education.

Australian consumers often ask what ingredients are commonly used in Australian sunscreens. This guide explains active UV filters, including mineral UV filters such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and organic UV filters such as avobenzone and octocrylene. It helps readers check labels, understand SPF and broad-spectrum claims, and assess terms such as “natural”, “non-toxic” and “reef friendly” without brand recommendations.

Australian Sunscreen Council is proud to support Noosa Concours d’Elegance as an Event Partner, helping volunteers, stewards and visitors enjoy one of Queensland’s leading outdoor motoring and lifestyle events with practical sun safety advice. From hats, sunglasses and shade to SPF50 broad-spectrum sunscreen, the message is simple: plan ahead, reapply regularly, protect exposed skin and enjoy the day safely under the Queensland sun while celebrating classic cars, community an

Australian Sunscreen Council has received international, national, trade and broadcast media coverage for its advocacy on sunscreen safety, UV-filter transparency, testing standards, children’s sunscreen marketing and regulatory accountability.

A new peer-reviewed study has identified 4-MBC, a sunscreen UV filter already banned in major overseas markets, as one of several environmental pollutants associated with higher fasting blood glucose in healthy adults.

The Australian Sunscreen Council’s complaint about Woolworths Kids SPF50+ sunscreen has drawn reporting from Inside FMCG and Retail World, and enquiries from Nine News, the Australian Financial Review and the Courier Mail. ASC says parents deserve clear evidence when a sunscreen marketed for children contains 4-MBC, a UV filter subject to bans, restrictions, removals or non-approval across 78 nations and overseas territories.

Australia’s environmental regulator DCCEEW has listed UV-328 under IChEMS Schedule 6. We break down what this means for phenolic benzotriazole UV filters like Tinosorb M, the PFAS precedent, therapeutic goods exemptions, and the future direction of sunscreen regulation in Australia.

With 4-MBC legally prohibited across Europe and systematically erased from major export markets, 98 distinct geographic jurisdictions worldwide have now restricted this endocrine-disrupting UV filter leaving Australia's TGA behind the curve.

The Australian Sunscreen Council recaps the explosive 9News investigation into the TGA, revealing how known hormone-disrupting chemicals like 4-MBC and Homosalate are still legally allowed in Australian children's sunscreens. Read the full breakdown and see which trusted brands are affected.