Health experts are concerned that Australians might be relying too heavily on cosmetic 'sun protection' products instead of regulated sunscreens to protect themselves from harmful UV.
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00:00Well, we know Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, so sunscreen here is
00:06very tightly regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, or the TGA.
00:11But experts are concerned that young people in particular are being misled by social media
00:16marketing and clever packaging into buying products that have the word sun in them, but
00:21aren't necessarily a regulated sunscreen.
00:24So things like sun drops, sun balms, sun butters, these are often cosmetic products,
00:29sometimes referred to as secondary sunscreens.
00:32If they have an SPF rating, they do need to be tested to reach that rating, but it doesn't
00:37mean they go through all the same testing as TGA regulated sunscreens.
00:42The harm there is if you're using a tinted foundation or a moisturiser with SPF, you're
00:47probably not slapping on the same amount as you would with a regular sunscreen.
00:51So the advice is to make sure you're putting on regular sunscreen as well as those cosmetic
00:55products when you're out in the sun.
00:58And so the best way to tell if what you're using is a regulated sunscreen is to actually
01:03check the bottle for the letters AUSTL followed by a number, and that means that that product
01:10is on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.