Consumer New Zealand has renewed its call for mandatory standards on sunscreen, saying the current voluntary system is not enough.
"The current situation, where compliance with the standard is voluntary, isn't good enough for a country with one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world," consumer NZ senior writer Belinda Castles said.
Ms Castles said Consumer NZ had found many sunscreens sold in New Zealand did not provide the level of protection specified by the SPF label on the bottle.
Consumer NZ tests in 2017 had found just nine out of 20 sunscreens met their SPF claim and requirements for broad-spectrum protection.
"If sunscreens were regulated, manufacturers would have to test their products and consumers could be more confident about using them," Ms Castles said.
"Making the standard mandatory would also capture the natural sunscreen products being sold in New Zealand that haven't been tested at all."
She added companies should be testing products regularly to ensure they meet the claims on the label.
The results of Consumer's latest sunscreen tests are due to be released in December.
Newshub.