Australian sunscreen manufacturer Wild Child Laboratories has faced significant scrutiny due to a series of product recalls and export restrictions. The company has been barred from exporting its sunscreens to the United States for the past three years. Despite this, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has allowed Wild Child to continue selling its products in Australia.

Recent investigations revealed that Wild Child produced the base formulation for 20 sunscreen products that have been recalled or are under review in Australia. These recalls stem from concerns that the products do not meet their stated Sun Protection Factor (SPF) claims. The TGA confirmed that independent testing by a consumer group found that 16 out of 20 popular sunscreens failed to meet their SPF label claims. The TGA indicated that preliminary tests suggested the base formulation might have an SPF of no more than 21, with some products potentially having an SPF as low as four.

Wild Child has been on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Import Alert list since 2022, which allows the agency to block products that do not meet manufacturing standards from entering the U.S. FDA records show that Wild Child's products were denied entry into the U.S. five times between 2023 and 2025, with the most recent refusal occurring in March 2023. Inspections of Wild Child's facilities from 2019 to 2024 revealed repeated violations of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

While the FDA has flagged Wild Child for these issues, the TGA has not taken similar action. The TGA stated that it only became aware of the FDA's import restrictions at the beginning of this month. In response to questions about why Wild Child was allowed to sell in Australia despite the U.S. ban, the TGA noted that the FDA's restrictions apply only to products intended for the U.S. market. The TGA also mentioned that it routinely monitors international regulatory developments and assesses compliance signals from overseas regulators.

Last month, the TGA announced that Wild Child had ceased manufacturing the base formulation used in the recalled products. The TGA conducted its own GMP inspection of Wild Child and reported that it did not find any manufacturing issues that could have contributed to the low SPF results. However, the TGA admitted it was unaware of the FDA's findings until recently.

Michael Traudt, a U.S.-based product testing expert, expressed skepticism about the TGA's findings, stating that GMP standards are internationally recognized. He called for the TGA to release its audit report of Wild Child to provide transparency about the company's compliance with manufacturing standards.

The FDA's audit report from an inspection of Wild Child's Perth facility in June 2022 highlighted serious breaches in quality control processes and failures to investigate product faults. Traudt described these findings as "major violations" and emphasized that Wild Child would not be able to sell products in the U.S. until it rectifies these issues.

In light of the recalls, consumers are advised to be cautious. An independent consultant with extensive GMP experience noted that the issues reported by the FDA are relevant to products sold in Australia. They expressed surprise that the TGA did not identify similar violations during its inspections.

Wild Child CEO Tom Curnow stated that the company has addressed all issues identified by the FDA through significant investments in a new manufacturing facility. However, the FDA's import restrictions remain in place, and the company’s products were again blocked from export to the U.S. following a recent inspection.

Despite the controversies surrounding Wild Child, the vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, Julian Rait, reassured consumers that most sunscreen products still provide adequate sun protection when used correctly. He emphasized the importance of using sunscreen in conjunction with other sun safety measures, such as seeking shade and wearing protective clothing.