Is Australia Scrapping the SPF Number? What the TGA's 2026 Sunscreen Label Overhaul Means
Short version: no - not yet, and maybe never. In March 2026 the TGA opened a consultation on how sunscreen is tested and labelled, and swapping the familiar SPF number for words like “high” and “very high” is just one of three options on the table. Nothing has been decided. Here's what's actually proposed, why it's happening, and what it means for the bottle in your bag. GLOW didn't write these rules - we're translating the TGA's own consultation, linked throughout.
The SPF number is not being scrapped. On 26 March 2026 the TGA opened an eight-week public consultation proposing ways to reform sunscreen regulation. On labelling it floated three choices: keep the SPF number as-is, keep it and add a plain-English explainer, or replace it with categories (low / medium / high / very high). Submissions closed 23 May 2026. As of July 2026 the TGA has made no decision - the number stays on your bottle unless and until that changes.
The three labelling options.
The headline-grabbing idea - ditching the number - is only the third of three options the TGA put forward for feedback. It did not recommend any one of them.
Keep the SPF number
Nothing changes. “SPF 50+” stays exactly as you know it, under the current AS/NZS 2604:2021 standard.
Keep the number, add plain English
The SPF number stays, but with an added explainer - for example, that an SPF 30 filters roughly 97% of UVB - so shoppers understand what the figure means.
Swap numbers for words
Replace the number with descriptive categories - low, medium, high, very high - possibly with a graphic.
Contested: CHOICE opposed this, and the TGA itself notes it would put Australia out of step with most of the world, which uses SPF numbers.
Options summarised from the TGA's March 2026 consultation paper, “Improvements to the regulation of sunscreens in Australia.”
It's really about testing.
Labels made the headlines, but the substance of the reform is how SPF gets measured in the first place.
Today, SPF is set by a human (in vivo) test - sunscreen goes on real volunteers' skin and a lab measures how much longer it takes to redden. It's the global standard, but it's slow and variable: two labs can test the same product and disagree. The TGA has proposed allowing, or even requiring, lab-bench (in vitro) SPF tests where suitable, and - crucially - giving itself oversight and accreditation of the testing labs. Right now the TGA doesn't choose or accredit the labs that certify SPF, and those labs don't need a manufacturing licence. That gap is a big part of what went wrong in 2025.
The 2025 sunscreen reckoning.
This review didn't come from nowhere. It followed a year of failed tests and recalls.
In June 2025, consumer group CHOICE independently tested 20 popular SPF 50/50+ sunscreens. 16 fell short of their labelled SPF (the TGA counts 18 of the 20 as failing its own threshold, since an “SPF 50+” must test at least SPF 60). One mineral product, Ultra Violette's Lean Screen, came back at SPF 4 and was later recalled. The TGA then flagged 21 more products sharing a single base formulation, and raised “significant concerns” about a UK testing lab many brands had relied on. More recalls followed through late 2025.
We covered the full pass/fail list separately: Which sunscreens passed (and failed) Australia's 2026 SPF tests ›
How we got here.
- New sunscreens must meet the updated AS/NZS 2604:2021 standard (older listings have until 30 June 2029 to catch up).
- ISO publishes two new lab-based SPF test methods, offered as alternatives to the human test.
- CHOICE finds 16 of 20 sunscreens fall short of their labelled SPF; one tests at SPF 4.
- Ultra Violette Lean Screen recalled; 21 more products flagged over a shared base formula; further recalls (Bondi Sands, Cancer Council Kids Clear Zinc).
- TGA opens its 8-week consultation on SPF testing, lab oversight and labelling.
- Submissions close. The TGA begins reviewing them.
- No decision yet. The numbered SPF system remains the law. We'll update this page when the TGA rules.
How SPF is tested today.
SPF isn't read off a machine - it's measured on people, which is partly why two labs can disagree and why the TGA wants to modernise the method.
In Australia, a sunscreen sold for sun protection is a therapeutic good: it carries an AUST L number and must meet AS/NZS 2604:2021. To be labelled SPF 50+, its average human test result must be 60 or higher. The TGA doesn't run these tests itself - it relies on reports supplied by the brand's chosen lab. Tightening that chain is the core of the reform.
What to do now.
The advice from the TGA, Cancer Council and CHOICE is unanimous, and it hasn't changed.
- Keep using sunscreen. Every authority says so - even an under-performing SPF blocks most UV, and stopping is far riskier.
- Apply enough. Most people use a fraction of what they should: about 7 teaspoons (35 mL) for the whole body, a teaspoon for the face and neck.
- Reapply every 2 hours - and straight after swimming, sweating or towelling off.
- Don't rely on sunscreen alone. Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide: add a hat, shade, clothing and sunglasses whenever the UV index hits 3 or above.
- Check the recalls. A number of products were recalled through 2025-26; the current list lives on the TGA recalls page.
- Want certainty? Four sunscreens met their claim in CHOICE's testing - see our pass/fail breakdown.
Don't confuse it with the other review.
Running alongside this is a separate TGA workstream on sunscreen ingredients - proposed limits on chemical UV filters like homosalate and oxybenzone, and a cap on a benzophenone impurity. That's about ingredient safety, not the SPF-on-the-label question, and it too is proposed, not decided. The two often get merged in headlines; they're different processes with different documents.
Common questions.
Is Australia getting rid of the SPF number on sunscreen?
No. Replacing the SPF number with word categories (low, medium, high, very high) is only one of three labelling options in a TGA consultation that opened in March 2026 and closed on 23 May 2026. No decision has been made, and the current numbered SPF system remains the law.
Has the SPF label already changed in Australia?
No. As of July 2026 the TGA has only proposed and consulted on possible reforms - nothing has been finalised or implemented. Your sunscreen still shows an SPF number (up to SPF 50+) under the AS/NZS 2604:2021 standard.
What would “low / medium / high / very high” labelling mean?
Under Option 3, the number on the front would be replaced by a descriptive band, possibly with a graphic. It's modelled loosely on nutrition-style labelling. It is only a proposal, and consumer group CHOICE argued against it because shoppers already understand SPF numbers.
When will the TGA decide?
The consultation closed on 23 May 2026 and the TGA is reviewing submissions. No date for a final decision has been published. Any change would need legislative amendment and a transition period, so labels wouldn't change overnight.
Should I stop using my sunscreen?
No. The TGA, Cancer Council and CHOICE all say keep using it - even a product that under-delivers still blocks most UV. Apply enough (about 7 teaspoons for the body), reapply every two hours, and pair it with shade, a hat and clothing.
Did GLOW test any sunscreens or write these rules?
No. GLOW didn't test products or write regulations. This explainer summarises the TGA's own consultation and the published results of CHOICE's 2025 testing, all linked in the sources below.
Where this comes from.
GLOW is an independent review platform. We didn't test sunscreens or set policy - this reports the TGA's own consultation and published testing:
- TGA - Improvements to the regulation of sunscreens in Australia (consultation, opened 26 March 2026, closed 23 May 2026)
- TGA media release - Improving the regulation of sunscreens in Australia
- TGA - Sunscreen SPF testing: information for consumers
- CHOICE - “16 of 20 sunscreens didn't meet SPF claims” (June 2025)
- Cancer Council - how to choose, apply and store sunscreen
- The Conversation - The TGA wants to overhaul sunscreen labels: will scrapping SPFs work?
Living document. Last updated July 2026. The March 2026 consultation has closed and the TGA is reviewing submissions; no final decision has been published. We'll update this page each time the TGA moves. General information, not medical or legal advice - keep using sun protection.