Ultra Violette is pulling Lean Screen Mineral Mattifying Skinscreen SPF50+ from shelves after new tests found a “pattern of inconsistency” in its SPF results.
The Australian sun care brand said in a statement on its website and social media channels that it would be withdrawing Lean Screen “effective immediately”, with consumers who have purchased the product eligible for a refund.
Ultra Violette said it is “deeply sorry that one of our products has fallen short of the standards we pride ourselves on”.
The brand’s co-founders, Ava Chandler-Matthews and Rebecca Jefferd, ordered additional testing into the sun lotion after Australian consumer advocacy group Choice published an investigation in June into the SPF claims of several sunscreen brands.
The group’s testing found that 16 of 20 brands failed to provide the level of skin protection advertised on their bottles, including Ultra Violette.
Choice’s testing found that Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen SPF 50+ had an SPF of just 4.
“Our responsibility has always been to prioritise your safety, protection and skin health above all else,” Chandler-Matthews and Jefferd said in Ultra Violette’s company’s statement.
“It remains the basis for every decision we make, which is why when you heard from us last, we made a commitment to you that we would continue to investigate a concerning discrepancy in SPF testing results of our Lean Screen.
“We had multiple, independent labs conduct new tests of Lean Screen.
“This week, we received results from those tests that demonstrated significant and, candidly, atypical variability.
“Across eight different tests, Lean Screen has now returned SPF data of 4, 10, 21, 26, 33, 60, 61 and 64.
“That was not good enough for us, and it is not good enough for you.
“Given this pattern of inconsistency in testing, we have decided to withdraw Lean/Velvet Screen from the market, effective immediately.”
Ultra Violette revealed it would no longer be working with the original testing laboratory of Lean Screen.
“Unlike the majority of our range, Lean Screen was created by a third-party manufacturer and was the only sunscreen they made for us,” the company statement read.
“We will no longer be making any Skinscreens with that manufacturer.
“We are working with a new and wider network of testing facilities that have been BIPEA-audited and independently vetted.”
The brand said every new Ultra Violette product will be SPF tested at a minimum of two different independent labs prior to launch.
The frequency of retesting has also been increased to 18 months, using off-the-shelf market samples.
It added that it “will continue to take immediate action if we see any discrepancies”.
Customers who purchased Lean Screen can apply for their refund by filling in this form on Ultra Violette’s website.
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