Bondi Sands the latest brand to recall sunscreens over potential SPF concerns
Bondi Sands says its recalls are not related to the SPF testing conducted by the consumer group Choice. (Supplied)
Major Australian sunscreen brand Bondi Sands is the latest to announce recalls over SPF concerns and the first to remove products that have not been identified as using the same problematic base formulation from shelves.
Consumer advocacy group Choice published results in June that showed 16 of 20 popular Australian sunscreen products did not meet the SPF claim on their label.
Since then concerns have centred on 20 products that share a base formulation made by Perth-based manufacturer Wild Child Laboratories.
The Bondi Sands products are the first sunscreens to be recalled that do not use that same formulation.
In a statement, Bondi Sands said the recalls were not related to Choice's report.
The company has recalled five batches of two mineral sunscreen products due to potential concerns over their effectiveness.
According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the impacted products "may appear to have an uneven texture and visible water separating out of the product. If this happens, the ingredients are no longer properly mixed".
"This could affect the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating and overall performance of the sunscreens which may cause inadequate sun protection," the TGA's recall notice said.
Choice's testing found Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Zinc Mineral Body Lotion to have an SPF of 26.
"The safety and quality of our products are a top priority," Bondi Sands said in a statement.
"We are dedicated to providing sun protection consumers can trust, and work with our manufacturers to test and validate the efficacy of our products.
"This recall is unrelated to those reports. We are recalling our Zinc Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ Face and Body Lotions due to potential product separation. No other Bondi Sands products are affected by this recall."
In a statement, the TGA said it was "continuing its investigation of the sunscreens included in the Choice list (including Bondi Sands Zinc Mineral Broad Spectrum UVA & UVB Protection Sunscreen SPF 50+ Body Lotion)".
"The TGA's concerns about the SPF ratings of the two Bondi Sands sunscreen products subject to the recall notice only relate to the identified 'separation' problem. This recall is not being undertaken as part of our investigation following the Choice sunscreen testing report."
In its recall notice, the TGA said: "If you have purchased one of the above batches of Bondi Sands Zinc Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreens, do not use it. Return the product to the place of purchase, or contact info@bondisands.com.au to arrange the return of product for a replacement or refund."
The latest recalls follow several other recalls of sunscreen products that shared the same base formula as Ultra Violette's Lean Screen SPF 50+.
The TGA found that base formulation, made by Perth Manufacturer Wild Child Laboratories, could have an SPF as low as 4.
The following sunscreens share the same Wild Child base formula and have been recalled:
- Ultra Violette's Lean Screen SPF50+
- Aspect Sun's SPF50+ Physical Sun Protection
- Aspect Sun's SPF50+ Tinted Physical Sun Protection
- Aesthetics Rx's Ultra Protection Sunscreen Cream
- Beauti-FLTR's Lustre Mineral SPF50+
- McoBeauty's SPF50+ Mineral Mattifying Sunscreen
- Outside Beauty & Skincare Pty Ltd's, SPF 50+ Mineral Primer
- People4ocean's SPF50+ Mineral Bioactive Shield Lightly Tinted Cream — 10g and 45g
- Salus' SPF 50+ Daily Facial Sunscreen
There are 11 other products that the TGA says share the same Wild Child base formulation and have been pulled from shelves or are under review:
- New Day Skin's Good Vibes Sunscreen SPF50+
- New Day Skin's Happy Days Sunscreen SPF50+
- Allganics' Light Sunscreen SPF50+
- Found My Skin's SPF 50+ Tinted Face/Body Cream
- Ethical Zinc's Daily Wear Light Sunscreen
- Ethical Zinc's Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Dark)
- Ethical Zinc's Daily Wear Tinted Facial Sunscreen (Light)
- Endota's Mineral Protect SPF50 Sunscreen
- We are Feel Good Inc's Mineral Sunscreen SPF50+
- GlindaWand's The Fountain of Youth Environmental Defence Cream SPF50+
- Naked Sundays' Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen