Health · 8 minute read

You bought the SPF 50, you put it on the kids, and then you read that some bottles had tested at less than half the number on the label. So do you trust what’s in the bathroom cupboard? Keep using it, and put on a lot more of it.

Sunscreen is about the most Australian thing we own. We grew up with zinc stripes and the Slip Slop Slap seagull. So finding out that a bottle promising SPF 50 might not deliver felt a bit like learning the school crossing lady had been making up the road rules.

What’s been going on with sunscreen testing

In 2025, CHOICE sent 20 sunscreens to a lab and reported that 16 failed their SPF claims. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates sunscreen, counted 18. One tested at SPF 4, which is basically moisturiser, and it was recalled along with a string of products made on the same base formula. By June 2026 the TGA was still investigating the other 15 CHOICE had flagged, which isn’t much comfort in the chemist aisle.

Then in the same week of late October 2026, the TGA announced tighter rules and Consumer NZ released its own test, where 7 of 10 sunscreens missed their label. Six of those seven still came in at SPF 30 or above, and one claiming SPF 50 tested at SPF 14. The cheapest sunscreen in that test met its claims, so the budget bottle isn’t automatically the weak one.

The plan is for accredited labs, repeat tests on finished products and results sent to the TGA. Some of that may need new laws, so you won’t see it on the shelf yet. For now, makers don’t have to show the TGA their SPF results unless they’re asked.

What the number on the bottle means

An SPF test typically uses 10 to 20 volunteers and reports their average, and someone judges the redness on their skin by eye, so results can move around from lab to lab. One bad result doesn’t mean the bottle in your cupboard has stopped protecting you.

The scale also flattens out near the top. SPF 30 filters about 97% of UVB, the rays that burn you, and SPF 50 about 98%. So a sunscreen labelled 50 that tests at 35 is a fair thing to be cross about, but it’s still doing a good job. The bottles to worry about are the ones that land far lower, like that SPF 4.

The TGA says to choose SPF 30 or higher, and Cancer Council recommends SPF 50 or 50+. We’d go with the higher number. It gives you room for a label that’s a bit generous, and for the fact that you’re probably not putting on enough.

You’re probably not using enough

The lab puts on a thick, even coat, much thicker than anyone does at the beach. When a Queensland study measured real people, they used less than half that, and Cancer Council says going light can knock your real SPF down by 50 to 80%.

You want about 7 teaspoons (35 mL) for a full-body coat on an average adult, which will feel like far too much the first time. That’s at least a teaspoon each for:

• each arm
• each leg
• your front
• your back
• your face, neck and ears

Put it on 20 minutes before you go out. Reapply every two hours, and after swimming, sweating or towelling off. If a bottle lasts you all summer, you’re not using enough of it.

How to pick one and look after it

1. 1Look for an AUST numberIt’s on the front label, and it means the product is on the Australian register and legally sold here. It doesn’t mean the TGA tested it before it reached the shelf. Be wary of anything without one, including products from overseas sites.
2. 2Go for SPF 50 or 50+, broad spectrum and water resistantBroad spectrum means it covers the rays that age your skin as well as the ones that burn it.
3. 3Check the date and where it’s been livingOut-of-date sunscreen is unlikely to work, and most last two to three years. Keep it below 30 degrees, which rules out the glove box and the beach bag in the boot.
4. 4Skip the aerosolA breeze can blow a big share of it away before it reaches you, which is why Cancer Council strongly advises against them.
5. 5Treat SPF makeup as a bonusMost makeup with SPF won’t give you enough on its own, so put your sunscreen on first.

When you need it in Melbourne

You can’t feel UV, so you can burn on a chilly, overcast Saturday on the sideline at junior netball. Protect your skin whenever the UV Index reaches 3, which in Victoria is usually from mid-August until the end of April. Melbourne’s average peak in November is about 8, which is already very high, and January’s average goes past 10.

The free SunSmart app shows the times you need protection each day. And don’t lean on sunscreen alone, because it’s the one form of protection that wears off. A shirt with sleeves, a hat with a wide brim, some shade and a decent pair of sunglasses don’t need reapplying.

Does wearing it every day make a difference?

Yes, and the best evidence comes from Queensland. In the town of Nambour, 1,621 adults were split into two groups: one put sunscreen on every day, the other used it whenever they normally would. Years later, the daily group had about half as many melanomas, although at 11 against 22 that’s a promising sign more than a sure thing. They also had nearly 40% fewer squamous cell cancers, one of the common skin cancers, though no clear drop in basal cell cancers. And the under 55s who were measured were 24% less likely to show more skin ageing, which, if we’re honest, is the number that’ll get most of us reaching for the tube.

The sunscreen in that trial was only SPF 15+, on the head and arms. So if you’ve been agonising in the chemist over the number, the bigger win is putting some on most mornings.

Keep an eye on your skin as well

Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, and most melanomas are found by the person who has them, or their partner. If you need a nudge, National Skin Cancer Action Week comes around each November.

Have a look over your skin every three months, from your scalp to the soles of your feet, and get someone else to check your back. You’re looking for new spots, and for anything that has changed in size, shape or colour.

Not everyone needs a yearly full-body check, so ask your GP what makes sense for you, particularly if you have fair skin that burns easily, a lot of unusual moles or a close relative who has had melanoma.

The takeaway

Keep the sunscreen, and use more of it. Pick an SPF 50 or 50+ with an AUST number, put on a teaspoon per body part, and add a hat.