PRESS RELEASE: Queensland Sunscreen Petition Nears 1,500 Signatures
Queensland Sunscreen Petition Nears 1,500 Signatures as Parents Push to Keep Controversial Chemicals Out of Schools
Petition calling for three sunscreen UV filters to be excluded from Queensland Government procurement overtakes campaigns on recreational cannabis, solar feed in tariffs, rough sleeping and child protection
MEDIA RELEASE — 2 September 2026
BRISBANE: A Queensland parliamentary petition calling for controversial sunscreen chemicals banned or restricted overseas to be kept out of State schools, government workplaces and State funded projects is rapidly gaining traction, approaching 1,500 signatures and overtaking several other prominent petitions currently before the Queensland Parliament.
Queensland Parliament Petition 4642-26, “Keep Sunscreen Chemicals Banned Overseas Out of Queensland Schools, Great Barrier Reef and Worksites,” has reached 1,386 signatures as of 2 September, leaving it just 114 signatures short of the 1,500 mark. The petition remains open until 9 November 2026.
The growing campaign has now attracted more signatures than a number of other current Queensland petitions dealing with major social and political issues.
At the latest published counts, the sunscreen petition has overtaken petitions seeking to legalise recreational cannabis in Queensland, introduce a regulated minimum solar feed in tariff, prohibit police move on orders for people sleeping rough, and strengthen aspects of child protection safety. Parliamentary figures are live and continue to change as additional signatures are received.
Principal petitioner Joseph Mizikovsky of the Australian Sunscreen Council said the level of public support showed that sunscreen ingredient safety was no longer a niche issue.
“Nearly 1,500 Queenslanders have now backed a very simple proposition: chemicals that have been banned or significantly restricted overseas should not automatically be purchased with taxpayer money for use on Queensland children and workers.”
“This is not an anti-sunscreen campaign. We want Queenslanders protecting themselves from UV exposure. The question is why schools and government workplaces should be supplied products containing ingredients facing serious regulatory restrictions overseas when alternatives are readily available.”
The petition asks the Queensland Government to review its sunscreen procurement policy with a view to ensuring products purchased by Queensland Government departments, State schools, government workplaces and State funded infrastructure projects do not contain the chemical UV filters 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor (4-MBC), Homosalate or Oxybenzone.
It does not seek to prohibit Queensland adults from purchasing sunscreen products containing those ingredients and does not seek to discourage sunscreen use.
4-MBC prohibited in European Union
One of the three ingredients at the centre of the petition, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, or 4-MBC, is now prohibited in cosmetic products in the European Union.
The European Commission prohibited 4-MBC following an assessment by its Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, which found sufficient evidence that the substance may act as an endocrine disruptor, with effects involving the thyroid and estrogen systems, and concluded that it was not possible to derive a maximum concentration for safe use.
The prohibition became applicable from 1 May 2025.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration currently permits 4-MBC in therapeutic sunscreens at concentrations of up to 4 per cent, but says it is conducting a safety review of the ingredient and is yet to make its final recommendation.
“Queensland does not need to wait until every regulatory process around the world reaches exactly the same conclusion before choosing a more precautionary procurement policy for children and workers,” Mizikovsky said.
“The European Union has already prohibited 4-MBC. If Queensland schools can purchase sunscreens without it, there is a reasonable question as to why they would continue purchasing products containing it.”
Australian regulator recommends controls on Homosalate and Oxybenzone
The other two ingredients named in the petition, Homosalate and Oxybenzone, have also been subject to significant regulatory scrutiny.
In its July 2025 safety review, the Therapeutic Goods Administration recommended regulatory controls to restrict the permitted concentrations and use of both ingredients in Australian therapeutic sunscreens.
The TGA uses a Margin of Safety of 100 or greater as its benchmark for controlling risks to human health and safety from long term exposure.
For Oxybenzone, the TGA concluded that the ingredient did not meet its low risk threshold when used at Australia’s maximum permitted concentration of 10 per cent and recommended restrictions to mitigate potential risks from chronic exposure.
The TGA has similarly stated that Homosalate and Oxybenzone can potentially be absorbed through the skin and may cause harmful effects when used at high concentrations, over large areas and for extended periods. The regulator has emphasised that its proposed changes are precautionary and are based primarily on potential signals from animal studies rather than evidence of harm in humans using sunscreen normally.
In Europe, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that Homosalate was not safe at concentrations of up to 10 per cent under the exposure assumptions it assessed. The committee identified 0.5 per cent as a concentration it considered safe under that assessment, while noting that evidence concerning endocrine effects remained inconclusive.
Mizikovsky said the petition was deliberately focused on government purchasing rather than restricting consumer choice.
“There are many sunscreen formulations available that do not contain 4-MBC, Homosalate or Oxybenzone. This is about government procurement and the standard we choose when products are being supplied to children, outdoor workers and other people who may apply sunscreen frequently.”
“Queenslanders should still wear sunscreen, seek shade, wear protective clothing and take UV exposure seriously. Removing three particular ingredients from government purchasing does not mean removing sun protection.”
Great Barrier Reef adds another dimension
The petition also raises environmental concerns because of Queensland’s unique responsibility for the Great Barrier Reef.
Oxybenzone in particular has been the subject of extensive international research examining its potential effects on marine environments.
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says chemicals found in some sunscreens can enter the marine environment directly from swimmers and through wastewater. NOAA identifies Oxybenzone and 4-MBC among sunscreen chemicals that may harm marine life and cites research associating Oxybenzone exposure with coral bleaching, DNA damage and developmental abnormalities under experimental conditions.
“Queensland is home to the Great Barrier Reef and has millions of people applying sunscreen around our beaches, islands and waterways,” Mizikovsky said.
“When there are alternatives available, it makes sense to ask whether government procurement can simultaneously protect people from UV exposure while reducing unnecessary use of ingredients facing human health or environmental concerns.”
Nearly 1,500 Queenslanders have now spoken
The petition was posted on 31 July 2026 and has until 9 November 2026 to gather further signatures.
Its 1,386 signatures already put it ahead of several campaigns addressing issues that traditionally attract significant political and media attention.
Mizikovsky said passing 1,500 signatures would be an important milestone but the campaign would continue beyond that number.
“What began as a question about three ingredients has become a much broader conversation about what standard governments should apply when purchasing products for children and workers.”
“Queenslanders are not asking government to ban sunscreen. They are asking government to exercise choice as a purchaser.”
“If there are effective sunscreen products available without these three ingredients, why shouldn’t they be the products we supply in our schools and government workplaces?”
The Australian Sunscreen Council is encouraging eligible Queensland residents to read Petition 4642-26 and make their own decision before the petition closes on 9 November 2026.
Petition at a glance
Petition: 4642-26
Title: Keep Sunscreen Chemicals Banned Overseas Out of Queensland Schools, Great Barrier Reef and Worksites
Principal Petitioner: Joseph Mizikovsky, Australian Sunscreen Council
Posted: 31 July 2026
Closing: 9 November 2026
Signatures as at 2 September 2026: 1,386
Ingredients identified: 4-MBC, Homosalate and Oxybenzone
Requested action: Review Queensland Government sunscreen procurement with a view to excluding the three UV filters from products purchased by Queensland Government departments, State schools, government workplaces and State funded infrastructure projects.
About the Australian Sunscreen Council
The Australian Sunscreen Council is an independent advisory and peak industry body dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy and regulatory integrity of sun protection in Australia, and to ensuring domestic sunscreen standards reflect current toxicological science and international regulatory consensus. Visit the official Australian Sunscreen Council website at https://www.australiansunscreencouncil.org/
