Marine Blue Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+: What Consumer NZ Measured
Last updated November 2, 2026
Consumer NZ tested it at SPF 34 against an SPF 50+ label in October 2026, and reported that the same sunscreen also missed its claim in its 2019 test.
Marine Blue's dry-touch lotion tested at SPF 34 in Consumer NZ's October 2026 round, against a label of SPF 50+. It matters more than most results in the round because of who uses it: Consumer NZ reports that the sunscreen is subsidised by Pharmac for people severely sensitive to light because of a clinical condition, and that it will send its results to Pharmac.
What was tested
Consumer NZ measured SPF 34, 30 October 2026
Consumer NZ measured SPF 34 against a label of SPF 50+. As the body's results table prints it:
DID NOT MEET SPF LABEL CLAIM · Marine Blue Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF50+ · SPF (tested) 34 · SPF protection High
A row of Consumer NZ's results table, transcribed cell by cell with its column headings; the dots separate the cells. Consumer NZ embeds the table in its article.
Method, as Consumer NZ states it: Sunscreens bought from stores and sent “blind” to an accredited laboratory, which Consumer NZ does not name, in light-resistant packaging, and tested against two aspects of the Australian/New Zealand sunscreen standard. Each sunscreen first underwent a five-person panel test; the seven with preliminary results below their SPF claim then went on to the full 10-person test the standard requires. Product applied at 2mg per cm2 and left to dry for 15 minutes, then a lamp simulating the sunburn-causing part of the UV spectrum shone on protected and unprotected skin, with redness assessed by a technician around 24 hours later and the results from all 10 participants averaged. Broad-spectrum protection measured by spectrophotometer on a thin film of sunscreen on a plate, against a critical wavelength and a UVA protection of at least one-third of the tested SPF.
What the brand said
Consumer NZ reported that Marine Blue did not respond, and that this is not the first time it has found the sunscreen short of its label.
Marine Blue did not respond to our emails. This isn’t the first time this sunscreen has not met its SPF label claims. In 2019, it only achieved an SPF of 26.4 in our test.
What happened next
Market status: no change has been published by any source cited here. Statuses in this story moved repeatedly between 2025 and 2026, so check the regulator before assuming a product is still on sale.
Alternatives that passed
Consumer NZ reported that three of the 10 sunscreens in the same test met their SPF label claim. It sent only the seven whose preliminary five-person result fell short on to the full ten-person test, so these three carry no tested figure: Smart365 Sun Sunscreen Lotion SPF50+, met its claim, Cetaphil Sun Ultra Light Lotion SPF50+, met its claim, Cancer Society Everyday Protection SPF50, met its claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Marine Blue failed a Consumer NZ test before?
Consumer NZ says so: it reports that in 2019 the sunscreen only achieved an SPF of 26.4 in its test. That earlier figure is quoted from Consumer NZ's 2026 article; the 2019 test is not a round in this database.
Why does Pharmac matter here?
Consumer NZ reports that Marine Blue is subsidised by Pharmac, the government's medicines-buying agency, for people severely sensitive to light because of a clinical condition. Pharmac does not do its own testing, and Consumer NZ said it would send its results to Pharmac.
SPF List did not test this product. The results on this page were published by the named test body or regulator; quotes and links go to the original publication. Brand responses and later developments are listed where they were published. Formulations change; a result applies to the batch and date tested.