This page summarises key research and public health evidence supporting a National Sunscreen Program.
A recent international study associated with the World Health Organization, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, identified Australia as the only country where ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the leading preventable cause of cancer in men.
(Citation and DOI to be added when available)
UV radiation is a well-established carcinogen, classified by international health authorities as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
Regular sunscreen use reduces melanoma risk, longitudinal studies demonstrate significant reductions in melanoma incidence with consistent sunscreen application.
Prevention reduces healthcare costs over time, every dollar invested in prevention saves multiple dollars in treatment, hospital care, and lost productivity.
Australia's UV levels are high across much of the year, even on cooler or cloudy days. This creates a broad national exposure profile that requires system-level prevention.
Unlike many countries where UV risk is seasonal or regional, Australia faces year-round, nationwide exposure that affects the entire population.
In 2025, consumer group CHOICE independently tested 20 popular Australian sunscreens. The results exposed a systemic failure in the products Australians rely on every day, and raised serious questions about regulatory oversight.
sunscreens failed to meet their SPF claims
actual protection from one product labelled SPF 50+
official TGA explanation for how this happened
CHOICE sent 20 popular sunscreens, from well-known brands at different price points, to a TGA-approved external laboratory for independent SPF testing. Products from Ultra Violette, Banana Boat, Bondi Sands, Cancer Council, Aldi, Naked Sundays, Mecca, Wotnot, Belo, Sunsense and others all failed to deliver the SPF protection stated on their labels.
The most alarming result: Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50+, one of Australia's most popular sunscreens, returned an SPF of just 4 in testing. A second independent test in Germany confirmed: SPF 5.
Following CHOICE's investigation, the TGA raised concerns over 20 sunscreens and several brands recalled or paused sale of their products. But the question every Australian deserves answered, how did this happen, and what has changed?, has never been properly addressed.
There has been no official explanation from the TGA as to why so many products failed. No public inquiry. No meaningful consequences for the manufacturers who sold Australians products that didn't work as labelled.
This investigation was conducted by a consumer advocacy group, not the government regulator whose job it is to protect us. That tells you everything about the current state of sunscreen oversight in Australia.