The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia - the world's skin cancer hotspot

Like many Australians, Rach grew up terrified of the sun in the country with the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

Her childhood was characterised by the infamous no hat, no play rule that is commonplace in Australian schools, 90s advertisements that warned the sun would give you cancer, and sunscreen tubes that stood guard at every door in her home.

It made the now 34-year-old the kind of person who religiously applies sunscreen multiple times a day and rarely leaves the house without a hat.

So she was shocked when doctors found a skin cancer on her nose during a check last November, something they said was abnormal given her age and ray-dodging regime.

Though technically classified as a low grade skin cancer – a basal cell carcinoma – it had to be surgically removed, leaving the Newcastle mum with a scar just below her eye.

I was just confused, and I was a little bit angry because I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' Rach – who asked that her surname not be used – told the BBC. I thought I'd done all the right stuff and it still happened to me.

That rage grew when she learned the sunscreen she had been using for years was unreliable and, according to some tests, offered next to no sun protection at all.

Independent analysis by a trusted consumer advocacy group has found that several of Australia's most popular, and expensive, sunscreens are not providing the protection they claim to, kicking off a national scandal.

There has been a massive backlash from customers, a probe launched by the country's medical watchdog, multiple products pulled from shelves, and questions raised about the regulation of sunscreen around the globe.

It's definitely not an issue isolated to Australia, cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong told the BBC.

Australians have a complicated relationship with the sun: they love it, but they also fear it. Effective public health messaging has drilled Slip, Slop, Slap into their heads, competing with a beauty culture that often idolises bronzed skin.

Choice Australia released a report revealing that 16 out of 20 tested sunscreens failed to meet their SPF claims, including the product Rach used. This led to widespread outrage and scrutiny of sunscreen regulations.

Amidst the uproar, companies like Ultra Violette have come under fire, claiming their products are safe while recalling items due to inconsistent testing results. As investigations continue, consumers are demanding greater accountability and regulatory reform, highlighting the urgent need for reliable sun protection in a nation plagued by skin cancer.