Have a look at the comments section of any TikTok calling out for sunscreen recommendations. You'll see one of the number one tips is to seek out Australian sunscreens. But, why?
As any Australian can tell you, we have one of the harshest climates in the world and our UV index is high. But our fierce sun will never stop an Australian from spending their leisure time outdoors. Living life outside is the essence of Australian culture. We have no choice but to take out sun safety very seriously, and accordingly, our sunscreen products are well-controlled.
Highly regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), all sunscreens sold in Australia have to be independently tested. This strict testing sometimes requires products from other markets to downgrade their SPF rating in the Australian market – because they haven't passed our requirements in order to warrant a high SPF rating.
In Australia, all sunscreen products must be clearly labelled, provide broad spectrum protection and, the TGA won't accept SPFs that block less than 75 percent of UV (ie an SPF of 4) as a therapeutic good. And, if it's not a registered therapeutic good, it cannot legally market itself in the sunscreen category.
There are also some recently introduced rules that prevent sunscreens from being reviewed or recommended on social media where money or gifts have changed hands. This is to prevent people from claims about therapeutic goods that could be tainted or influenced by a paid partnership.
In essence, Australian sunscreens have to pass some fierce testing to even be allowed on the market. As a result, they likely offer stronger protection compared to products that have not passed the same set of tests. It's no wonder that our Australian sunscreens keep popping up as recommendations on reddit and TikTok.
With this in mind, we've rounded up a list of homegrown Australian brands that make sunscreens. In no particular order, these are some of the more well-known names on the market right now. Scroll through and stay sun safe!
1. Aesthetics Rx
2. We Are Feel Good Inc.
3. Ultra Violette
4. Sun Bum
5. Cancer Council
6. Mecca Cosmetica
7. Edible Beauty
8. SunButter
9. Naked Sundays
10. Mother SPF
11. Hamilton
12. Bondi Sands
13. Sunny Skin
14. The Kind Sunscreen
15. Ultraceuticals
16. Skinstitut
17. Liberty Belle Rx
18. The Secret
19. Viviology
20. Sun Sense
21. Go-To
Feature image via Instagram.
Featured products are selected editorially. Our opinions are our own. Occasionally, we may receive a standard affiliate partner fee if you make a purchase using the links we feature.
