June 11, 2025 • 5 mins
CHOICE's Mark Serrels joins Graeme Goodings on FIVEAA.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, when you buy a sunscreen with an SPF factor
of fifty plus, I think it's reasonable to assume that
that's exactly what it is. But Consumer Group Choice is
found that most popular sunscreens most popular sunscreens fail to
deliver the protection promised on their labels. Let's find out
more about it from editorial Director of Choice, Mark Cyril's
Mark good MoInd.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
To you, Hello, how are you going?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Look really well? Thanks? I'm a bit concerned about this
because we know how vitally important it is to have
sun protection, and we sort of think if we go
out and buy an sp fifty, well, dear idea, that's
going to give us fifty times the protection of just
going outlet the sign with no protection. But what you've
found that is not always the case.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, a lot of testing founder only four actually tasted
in the fifty and above range. But I do think
it's important to say that a sunscreen with an SPA
for twenty or thirty forty, those are all that's really
good protection. And if you have those sunscreens and your
cupboard used to still use them, we always say, you know,
(01:00):
any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen. We won't be
able to keep you from sunscreen. But yeah, it's still
a bit concern and I think austrength consumers deserve you know,
they start better go here when it comes to the testing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So I mean the amount you tested, where you did
find some that fulfilled the requirement of fifty plus, that
was only four.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, that's right. We founded the Meca Cosmetica, his Target
Cancer Council Kids Sunscreen and Neutrogena one of the Neutrogena brands,
and La Roche per Se. They all had their targets
did that. They all tested and passed their SPF claims.
But yeah, I think there's a couple that are about worrying,
you know, the ones in the twenties. There's one that
(01:44):
tested an SPA for four. I think that's the most
concern and one four.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, so as you say, you know, twenty plus is
pretty good protection, but if you know it's fifty plus
or twenty plus or whatever, but it actually only is four,
you could get serious damage in a very short spice
of time.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
That's right. You mentioned it before. The SPF how it works,
you know, it's like what you're what you're actually getting
when you put sunscreen on is essentially more time before
you actually get sunburn. If it's an SPF for four,
it's technically four times amount that you would have without.
In that case, you know, the difference between thirty and fifty,
it's actually quite a small percentage and quite a small
(02:25):
difference really, But when you start getting to the low
single digit stuff, I think that's a bit more problematic.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Did these sanscreen manufacturers who didn't fulfill the requirements? What
was their defense? What did they have to say?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, almost all of them are standing by their testing,
which is fine, But we stand by our testing one
hundred percent. In the case of the Ultra Violet Sunscreen,
which is the one that tested an SPF for four.
So we did the full goals to handle Australian standard
testing and got an SPF for four, And because it
was so low, we actually sent and you batch to
(03:01):
a different lab in Germany to get a second opinion,
and that came back at an SPA for five. So
we're pretty we're pretty confident in our test and given
that result, and just giving the fact that the lab
and the test and we were using this gold standard.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, well, I think most people listening appreciate what choice
does and you've set the gold standing on you know
what is good and you don't have any vested interests.
There's no question about that. Obviously some of these sunscreen
manufacturers would have a vested interest they wanted to defend
their product. But yeah, yeah, So what advice would you
have for people? I mean, looking out the window, it's
(03:38):
probably not the time of year to be too concerned
about sunscreens, but it won't be long before we need
to be. So what advice would you have for people?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, you know, I'm from Scotland, I'm peel and pasty.
I have been some bunting went many times here in Australia.
It's not always about how sunny, as you know, it's
a bit of UV rateing and stuff like that. So
you should kind of be using such year round. I
would say that first and foremost, but also say, if
you have one of these sunscreens in your cupboard, still
use it. One of the sunscreens on the list that
(04:06):
failed to much Stapa of claims, I have it and
I plan to use it. It's in the forties, but
even if it was in the series of twenties, I
would still use it, just on I think learning how
to apply sunscreen correctly is useful that it makes a
big difference. Reapplying makes a big difference, wearing a heart.
All the things that you see and all the ads,
you know, suncare and skincare and all that applies here.
(04:29):
Just you've got to take care of yourself out there.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I think it's about reapplying. I think a lot
of us think SP fifty to fifty plus. You know,
I can apply it and I'm right for the day,
but it all weighs off or it all reaches the
end of its useful life, so you need to reapply it.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That's right, and just yeah, come to Choice. Check out
the ones that scored highly that those are the ones
that we recommend obviously, but you know, any sunscreen is
better than those sunscreen.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Mark Cyol's great to chat. Thanks for your time today.
That's Max Barrels, Editorial Director of Choice.
Now, when you buy a sunscreen with an SPF factor
of fifty plus, I think it's reasonable to assume that
that's exactly what it is. But Consumer Group Choice is
found that most popular sunscreens most popular sunscreens fail to
deliver the protection promised on their labels. Let's find out
more about it from editorial Director of Choice, Mark Cyril's
Mark good MoInd.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
To you, Hello, how are you going?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Look really well? Thanks? I'm a bit concerned about this
because we know how vitally important it is to have
sun protection, and we sort of think if we go
out and buy an sp fifty, well, dear idea, that's
going to give us fifty times the protection of just
going outlet the sign with no protection. But what you've
found that is not always the case.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, a lot of testing founder only four actually tasted
in the fifty and above range. But I do think
it's important to say that a sunscreen with an SPA
for twenty or thirty forty, those are all that's really
good protection. And if you have those sunscreens and your
cupboard used to still use them, we always say, you know,
(01:00):
any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen. We won't be
able to keep you from sunscreen. But yeah, it's still
a bit concern and I think austrength consumers deserve you know,
they start better go here when it comes to the testing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So I mean the amount you tested, where you did
find some that fulfilled the requirement of fifty plus, that
was only four.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, that's right. We founded the Meca Cosmetica, his Target
Cancer Council Kids Sunscreen and Neutrogena one of the Neutrogena brands,
and La Roche per Se. They all had their targets
did that. They all tested and passed their SPF claims.
But yeah, I think there's a couple that are about worrying,
you know, the ones in the twenties. There's one that
(01:44):
tested an SPA for four. I think that's the most
concern and one four.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, so as you say, you know, twenty plus is
pretty good protection, but if you know it's fifty plus
or twenty plus or whatever, but it actually only is four,
you could get serious damage in a very short spice
of time.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
That's right. You mentioned it before. The SPF how it works,
you know, it's like what you're what you're actually getting
when you put sunscreen on is essentially more time before
you actually get sunburn. If it's an SPF for four,
it's technically four times amount that you would have without.
In that case, you know, the difference between thirty and fifty,
it's actually quite a small percentage and quite a small
(02:25):
difference really, But when you start getting to the low
single digit stuff, I think that's a bit more problematic.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Did these sanscreen manufacturers who didn't fulfill the requirements? What
was their defense? What did they have to say?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, almost all of them are standing by their testing,
which is fine, But we stand by our testing one
hundred percent. In the case of the Ultra Violet Sunscreen,
which is the one that tested an SPF for four.
So we did the full goals to handle Australian standard
testing and got an SPF for four, And because it
was so low, we actually sent and you batch to
(03:01):
a different lab in Germany to get a second opinion,
and that came back at an SPA for five. So
we're pretty we're pretty confident in our test and given
that result, and just giving the fact that the lab
and the test and we were using this gold standard.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, well, I think most people listening appreciate what choice
does and you've set the gold standing on you know
what is good and you don't have any vested interests.
There's no question about that. Obviously some of these sunscreen
manufacturers would have a vested interest they wanted to defend
their product. But yeah, yeah, So what advice would you
have for people? I mean, looking out the window, it's
(03:38):
probably not the time of year to be too concerned
about sunscreens, but it won't be long before we need
to be. So what advice would you have for people?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, you know, I'm from Scotland, I'm peel and pasty.
I have been some bunting went many times here in Australia.
It's not always about how sunny, as you know, it's
a bit of UV rateing and stuff like that. So
you should kind of be using such year round. I
would say that first and foremost, but also say, if
you have one of these sunscreens in your cupboard, still
use it. One of the sunscreens on the list that
(04:06):
failed to much Stapa of claims, I have it and
I plan to use it. It's in the forties, but
even if it was in the series of twenties, I
would still use it, just on I think learning how
to apply sunscreen correctly is useful that it makes a
big difference. Reapplying makes a big difference, wearing a heart.
All the things that you see and all the ads,
you know, suncare and skincare and all that applies here.
(04:29):
Just you've got to take care of yourself out there.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I think it's about reapplying. I think a lot
of us think SP fifty to fifty plus. You know,
I can apply it and I'm right for the day,
but it all weighs off or it all reaches the
end of its useful life, so you need to reapply it.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That's right, and just yeah, come to Choice. Check out
the ones that scored highly that those are the ones
that we recommend obviously, but you know, any sunscreen is
better than those sunscreen.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Mark Cyol's great to chat. Thanks for your time today.
That's Max Barrels, Editorial Director of Choice.
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