Sunscreen brands and their independent industry body welcome the Sunscreen Safety Bill that comes into effect on shelves around the country today. Passed in March, it makes it mandatory instead of voluntary for products to meet the AS/NZS 2604 Safety and Efficiency Standard.
The bill affects primary sunscreen and skincare products with an SPF15 or more and insect repellents with an SPF of four or more. Products sold in Australia will go unaffected, as the regulation has been in place there for several years. The testing process is vigorous and
"We've been advocating for this change for a long time, alongside dozens of sunscreen brands in this market. For the majority, it's business as usual as they already have been meeting this Standard for many decades, so it's a well-supported piece of legislation in the industry," said Angela Buglass, Chair of the Cosmetics NZ Board.
Cosmetics NZ is the incorporated body representing sunscreens. It has been campaigning for mandatory regulation against the Standard for many years. It even funded the national contribution ensuring sunscreens could be tested against a shared trans-Tasman benchmark long before the regulation was formalised.
"The process to create a sunscreen that meets the Standards is very robust, with many rounds of formulation and testing in independent external labs taking place before SPF confirmation and labelling even happens," said Garth Wyllie, regulation and testing expert.
