Improving the regulation of sunscreens in Australia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has today opened an 8-week public consultation, ‘Seeking improvements to the regulation of sunscreens in Australia’, and is inviting interested parties to provide a response by 23 May 2026.

Given Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer and melanoma in the world, with around 2,000 people dying each year, it is critical that the regulatory settings are appropriate to ensure consumer confidence in sunscreens.

The consultation paper proposes a range of options to provide the following improvements to the current regulatory framework:

• Improving reliability and transparency of SPF testing.
• Enabling new testing technologies to be adopted in a timelier manner.
• Strengthening oversight of testing laboratories.
• Enhancing lifecycle quality assurance, including periodic testing, and ingredient standards.
• Simplifying and clarifying SPF labelling.
• Providing greater consistency with the indications that therapeutic and cosmetic sunscreens can make.
• Updating Good Manufacturing Practice guidance to improve manufacturing quality.

These proposals are intended to strengthen confidence in sunscreen performance. If accepted, options presented in this paper would be implemented in a proportionate and targeted manner, with appropriate transition periods incorporated.

The TGA will host a webinar on 14 April 2026 at 1 pm to provide stakeholders with an overview of the key proposals in the consultation paper. Attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions of the TGA’s expert panel ahead of submitting their response to the consultation.

Consumers are encouraged to visit the TGA’s sunscreens hub to:

• get tips on choosing the right sunscreen, applying it properly and understanding the label
• learn about SPF testing, check the latest sunscreen recalls, and know what to do if your sunscreen has been recalled
• find out how we're reviewing sunscreen ingredients and why you should continue to use sunscreen during this process.

Contact for members of the media:

• Email: news@health.gov.au
• Phone: 02 6289 7400