The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced that 21 sunscreen products sharing a common base formula are being recalled, paused, or reviewed after concerns they may not deliver their labelled SPF protection. (ABC News, 30 Sept 2025)

These products use the same underlying formulation as Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen SPF 50+, which itself was recalled earlier this year.

Why the Recall?

• The TGA says preliminary testing suggests the base formula may provide as little as SPF 4 instead of SPF 50, leaving users effectively unprotected.

• The agency has also raised “significant concerns” about the reliability of SPF test results from Princeton Consumer Research (PCR), a lab used by many brands to validate their claims. Despite the TGA’s request for clarification, PCR has not responded.

• This raises broader doubts about the integrity of sunscreen testing processes relied upon by many brands in the Australian market.

  
  

Which Sunscreens Are Affected?

Brands affected include:

• Aspect Sun SPF50+ Physical

• Endota Mineral Protect SPF50

• Ethical Zinc Daily Wear (several variants)

• Allganics Light Sunscreen SPF50+

• Ultra Violette Lean Screen and others

A full list is available from the TGA’s recall notice. Consumers are advised to discontinue use and switch to alternatives until testing is complete.

The Raw Material Question: Advance ZincTek Speaks Out

The SPF concerns are not limited to testing failures. Earlier this month, Advance ZincTek (ASX:ANO) — an Australian manufacturer of pharmaceutical-grade zinc oxide based in Brisbane — clarified that it ceased supplying zinc oxide to Wild Child (the manufacturer of several affected products) in 2022.

The company explained that it had serious concerns sub-standard, low-cost zinc oxide was being mixed into formulations alongside its high-grade zinc powder. Such substitution would directly compromise the UV protection properties, making it impossible for the sunscreens to deliver their labelled SPF claims.

Importantly, Advance ZincTek reported that it had informed the TGA of these concerns prior to the Choice testing, which later confirmed major SPF shortfalls across products using the disputed formula.

This case underscores a broader and systemic issue: supply chain integrity. Even when “zinc oxide” appears on a sunscreen label, the quality, grade, and origin of the ingredient can vary dramatically. Without transparency and strict oversight, consumers are left vulnerable to products that look compliant on paper but fail in practice.

What This Tells Us About Sunscreen Regulation

• SPF claims in Australia remain unreliable, dependent on testing labs and supply chains that have shown significant weaknesses.

• Even when SPF claims are met, the safety of many chemical UV filters remains unresolved. Several were grandfathered onto the register decades ago without modern toxicology review, such as 4-MBC.

• The only UV filters that the TGA has formally reviewed and confirmed safe and effective are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide.

What Consumers Should Do

• Check your sunscreen: if it appears on the recall list, discontinue use.

• Use multiple forms of sun protection first: protective clothing, broad-brimmed hats, shade, and limiting time in direct sun.

• Treat sunscreen as a last line of defence, not your only form of protection.

• When you do use sunscreen, prefer Zinc Oxide–based products supplied by verified Australian manufacturers. Check with brands to see if their sunscreen is made using ZinClear zinc oxide by Advance ZincTek or other pharmaceutical grade suppliers.