Sun Bum Mineral SPF 50+: What Consumer NZ Measured
Last updated November 2, 2026
Consumer NZ tested it at SPF 38 against an SPF 50+ label in October 2026; Sun Bum did not respond to Consumer NZ's request for comment.
Sun Bum's mineral sunscreen tested at SPF 38 in Consumer NZ's October 2026 round, against a label of SPF 50+. It is the second Sun Bum product on this site; the first, a different lotion, was measured by CHOICE in Australia a year earlier.
What was tested
Consumer NZ measured SPF 38, 30 October 2026
Consumer NZ measured SPF 38 against a label of SPF 50+. As the body's results table prints it:
DID NOT MEET SPF LABEL CLAIM · Sun Bum Mineral SPF50+ · SPF (tested) 38 · 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 Sun Bum did not respond.
Sun Bum didn’t respond to our request for comment.
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. None of the three is named as a zinc or mineral formula in Consumer NZ's table: 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
Is this the Sun Bum product CHOICE tested?
No. CHOICE's 2025 round tested Sun Bum Premium Moisturising Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+, a different product. This page is the mineral product Consumer NZ tested in New Zealand in 2026.
Is SPF 38 still high protection?
Consumer NZ rated it high protection. It fell short of the SPF 60 that Consumer NZ says an SPF50+ label claim requires.
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.