A third sunscreen has been pulled from shelves in New Zealand after independent testing revealed it may not offer the level of sun protection advertised.
A recall was issued today for Ultra Violette brand Lean Screen SPF 50+. The product was sold at Sephora and Ultra Violette’s website from October 1, 2020, to August 22, 2025.
Product Safety NZ said the sunscreen "may not provide SPF as labelled".
"Independent testing of Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50+ demonstrated inconsistency in the SPF level of tested product. This testing found the product may have an SPF level ranging from 4 to 64.32
"People using this product may be at an increased risk of sunburn during use and reduced prevention of skin cancer in the longer term."
On its website, Ultra Violette said it had retested its entire range at multiple independent laboratories in the wake of the product recall and "consistently found SPF results over 50".
"The level of consistency we are seeing with the rest of the range gives us a huge level of confidence as it is at odds with what we were seeing when we started the retesting process at other labs with Lean/Velvet Screen, where we were unable to replicate results at a level even close to SPF 50."
On September 29, an urgent recall was issued for two sunscreens sold widely across New Zealand.
Preliminary results from an independent testing laboratory showed the SPF level in Aspect Sun's Physical Sun Protection SPF50+ and Tinted Physical SPF50+ products were "unlikely to meet the labelled SPF rating".
The products were sold at more than 250 retailers nationwide between November 2022 and August 2025.
Batch numbers for Aspect Sun's Physical Sun Protection SPF50+ product include A2450, A2190, A1958 and A1492.
The affected batch numbers for Aspect Sun's Tinted Physical SPF50+ were A2451, A2191, A1976 and A1629.
Consumers were urged to stop using the affected products immediately and return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Retailers were instructed to remove the products from sale.
The New Zealand recall followed a similar move in Australia, where the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) pulled dozens of sunscreens from shelves.
The TGA warned that additional sunscreens may be added to the recall list in the coming weeks.
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