If you've ever wondered why an American sunscreen you loved on holiday isn't sold here, or why a European brand's SPF 50 is labelled differently, this is why.
Sunscreen is medicine here
In Australia, a product whose primary purpose is sun protection is regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a therapeutic good. Not as a cosmetic. It needs to be on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, it's made in a licensed facility, and its SPF is tested against the Australian standard.
In much of the world, sunscreen is a cosmetic and the bar is considerably lower.
This is a direct consequence of geography. We have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and the regulation reflects that.
What it means when you shop
An overseas sunscreen bought online has not necessarily met the Australian standard. It might be excellent. It also might be tested to a method that produces a friendlier number.
Products with incidental SPF are treated differently. Tinted bases and foundations containing sunscreen are classed as cosmetics. That's a sensible distinction, but it means the SPF in your foundation has not been through the same process as the SPF in a bottle of sunscreen, and shouldn't be relied on the same way.
Devices making treatment claims are a different category again. An LED mask advertised as treating a named skin condition is claiming to be a medical device. Most brands making those claims have done none of the accompanying work.
The advertising rules too
There's a second layer most people never see. The Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code restricts what can be said in advertising, including a prohibition on testimonials and endorsements from health practitioners.
That rule catches a lot of brands out. It's also why you'll notice we describe our co-founder's qualifications but never have her recommend a product to you. It isn't coyness. It's the law, and we'd rather explain it than have you wonder.
How to use this as a shopper
Look for the AUST L number on sunscreen. Be sceptical of imported SPF. Treat "clinical" and "medical-grade" as decoration. And take seriously any brand that tells you what it can't claim, because the ones that don't mention limits usually have more of them.
Why the strictness is good news
It's slower and more expensive for brands. It also means the sunscreen you buy in a chemist here is genuinely tested to a demanding standard.
Living under this much UV, that's a trade worth making.
General information, not legal or medical advice.