Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 minutes ago
Key points you should know about the CHOICE SPF Testing drama. A wrapup from my latest expert roundtable, in conversation with Michelle Wong, PhD (sunscreen science queen of the interwebs in my books) Hannah Collingwood English (sunscreen & science content creator, also with a brand founder POV) and Brian Ecclefield (industry testing expert with first hand experience with the lab om question) - IMO, the right group to do the topic justice! There were a lot of important points in the discussion; if you're looking to understand what's all happening, this is the spot! Tune in here: theecowell.com/podcast/sunscreengate2025
Also available all places podcasts are found - search "The Eco Well Podcast"
Also available as a video podcast: youtube.com/watch?v=4QtSpEEsSFc&t=1926s
Takeaways to be emphasized:
Learning about relevant expertise should be one of your first steps to trying to find truth about a topic - it makes it easier to find consensus among the folks who are more likely to have knowledge on a topic. Otherwise, the opinion you're hearing may not actually represent... reality.
Now is not the time to be afraid of sunscreen! Most sunscreen tested still did quite well - continue reapplying + using other sun protection methods (like you should be anyway!).
Brands, it's your responsibility to vet your service providers. If you don't have the expertise to do this, find someone who does, and be sure to also vet that person too!
If you think this is just going to impact Australia, you're wrong. FYI, PCRs main markets are actually in the USA and Europe...
Huge props to CHOICE and TGA for being so proactive to find and start to tackle this issue.
It was very disheartening to see the backlash CHOICE got for this work online. The work they did will have significant and long term positive impacts on the sunscreen sector - we would otherwise still be in the dark about the SPF testing issues! Question "experts" who are saying otherwise - very likely they don't actually have relevant expertise on the subject. Thank you to CHOICE for being the ones to stimulate this conversation, and the progress that is to come.
Shout out to BeautyMatter, Janna Mandell & Cristina Montemayor - there was A LOT of fear mongery news articles on the story as everything unfolded. Your investigative journalism earlier this month with your article on the situation was the best writeup I saw during this whole mess. Find their writeup here: beautymatter.com/articles/the-real-sunscreen-scandal-isnt-in-australia-its-in-the-lab
#sunscreen #spf #beautycommunity #skincare #beauty #cosmetics
Key points you should know about the CHOICE SPF Testing drama. A wrapup from my latest expert roundtable, in conversation with Michelle Wong, PhD (sunscreen science queen of the interwebs in my books) Hannah Collingwood English (sunscreen & science content creator, also with a brand founder POV) and Brian Ecclefield (industry testing expert with first hand experience with the lab om question) - IMO, the right group to do the topic justice! There were a lot of important points in the discussion; if you're looking to understand what's all happening, this is the spot! Tune in here: theecowell.com/podcast/sunscreengate2025
Also available all places podcasts are found - search "The Eco Well Podcast"
Also available as a video podcast: youtube.com/watch?v=4QtSpEEsSFc&t=1926s
Takeaways to be emphasized:
Learning about relevant expertise should be one of your first steps to trying to find truth about a topic - it makes it easier to find consensus among the folks who are more likely to have knowledge on a topic. Otherwise, the opinion you're hearing may not actually represent... reality.
Now is not the time to be afraid of sunscreen! Most sunscreen tested still did quite well - continue reapplying + using other sun protection methods (like you should be anyway!).
Brands, it's your responsibility to vet your service providers. If you don't have the expertise to do this, find someone who does, and be sure to also vet that person too!
If you think this is just going to impact Australia, you're wrong. FYI, PCRs main markets are actually in the USA and Europe...
Huge props to CHOICE and TGA for being so proactive to find and start to tackle this issue.
It was very disheartening to see the backlash CHOICE got for this work online. The work they did will have significant and long term positive impacts on the sunscreen sector - we would otherwise still be in the dark about the SPF testing issues! Question "experts" who are saying otherwise - very likely they don't actually have relevant expertise on the subject. Thank you to CHOICE for being the ones to stimulate this conversation, and the progress that is to come.
Shout out to BeautyMatter, Janna Mandell & Cristina Montemayor - there was A LOT of fear mongery news articles on the story as everything unfolded. Your investigative journalism earlier this month with your article on the situation was the best writeup I saw during this whole mess. Find their writeup here: beautymatter.com/articles/the-real-sunscreen-scandal-isnt-in-australia-its-in-the-lab
#sunscreen #spf #beautycommunity #skincare #beauty #cosmetics
