Several sunscreens have been recalled recently in 2025 mainly due to claims that their SPF levels are lower than what is advertised, which poses a risk of sunburn and reduces skin cancer protection. Key recalled or paused products include:
- Aspect Sun's Physical Sun Protection SPF50+ and Tinted Physical SPF50+—recalls in New Zealand and Australia over lower SPF than labeled in specific batches.
- Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Skinscreen—recalled in Australia after being found to have SPF as low as 4.
- About 21 sunscreens in Australia identified as using the same base formulation as Ultra Violette's Lean Screen with many products recalled, suspended from sale, or under review. Some of the affected brands include Aesthetics Rx, New Day Skin, Allganics, Beauti-FLTR, Found My Skin, Ethical Zinc, Endota, We are Feel Good Inc, GlindaWand, People4Ocean, MCoBeauty, Naked Sundays, Outside Beauty & Skincare, and Salus.
- The manufacturer Wild Child Laboratories Pty Ltd has ceased production and supply of the base formula implicated.
- Concerns about the reliability of SPF testing by some labs, specifically the UK-based Princeton Consumer Research Corp, which many of these products used.
- Independent testing showed many sunscreens did not meet their SPF claims.
Consumers are advised to stop using affected sunscreen batches immediately and return them for refunds. Retailers in affected regions have been instructed to remove the products from sale. The recalls highlight consumer safety concerns in regions with high skin cancer rates, such as Australia and New Zealand. Additional products may still be added to recall lists as investigations continue.
Besides SPF issues, benzene contamination has led to other sunscreen recalls in prior years, but no recent updates on that specifically in 2025 were found.
