Does Banning Influencers From Promoting Sunscreen Products Actually Make Things Worse?

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently banned businesses from using influencers for a paid partnership on sunscreen products – but is it helpful? 

According to Cancer Council Australia, at least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. In Australia, skin cancers cause more deaths than transport accidents every year. 

Listen now:

On today’s The Briefing, co-host Katrina Blowers speak to Samantha Brett, the founder of Naked Sunday’s sunscreen, and Melissa Mason, who is lobbying for the federal government to ban sun tanning products. 

While influencers cannot promote sunscreen products, under the new rules, they are still allowed to promote tanning products with oils and peptides, which could accelerate the harmful effects of the sun. 

Brett has been working on a range of sunscreen products, that are now rated the number one in Australia. She shared her frustration with TGA’s new advertising code. 

We’ve done so much work to get them to start loving sharing their sunscreen journey on social media, with hashtags like SPF every day and SPF challenge trending and suddenly stop. No one can post about it,”

Brett said.

I personally have been rallying the TGA to take sunscreen out of that list in the advertising and allow anyone to say anything about sunscreen that they want. It is the opposite of harmful to say things about sunscreen on social.”

Download the free LiSTNR app for more episodes of The Briefing.