Results from a recent survey of nearly 1300 people commissioned by Friends of the Earth and carried out by The Australia Institute reveals:
* 85% of Australians want companies to be required to label sunscreens and cosmetics which contain nano-ingredients, and
* 92% of Australians believe sunscreen and cosmetics manufacturers have to conduct safety tests on nano-ingredients before using them in products
A summary of the results can be downloaded here
These results show a clear community expectation that new technologies will undergo testing before use and that consumers will have a choice to buy into them or not.
However, the national regulator responsible for sunscreens, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has so far rejected all calls to require companies to label or test the nano-ingredients in sunscreens and cosmetics before use.
Rachel Carbonell’s story on The World Today (Dec 1st) ‘Consumers back nano warnings on sunscreens‘
