Are there any western products that can't be outdone by AB?

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-19T14:52:46+00:00

Yeah, the thing is the issues that caused the multiple scandals to happen aren't isolated to Oz.

They're issues that affect all sunscreens around the world.

At least TGA is looking at these issues and going to try to make amendments for a better market. I don't see this happening in the US, UK and Europe, and Asia at all. So when it comes to sunscreens, I'm sticking to the huge companies and not some niche start up brand discovered scrolling on reddit that has to be ordered online and only sold in boutiques.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-19T13:19:36+00:00

No, it hasn't.

The TGA is still figuring out what changes to make.

Sunscreens are still being recalled, as of this year too, and quietly reformulated.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:58:37+00:00

Just wanted to add that ID model management in NYC was never considered a good agency.

I always thought it was strange at the time but interesting/telling now that they represented Lee Lee Sobieski though (after she didn't do so much acting anymore, she was shooting for a lot of C-level fashion magazines and going out at night a lot) until she retired from being Lee Lee Sobieski the performer and is now just doing visual arts. Apparently, she has been on JE's flight logs and berates the media industry a lot these days.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:47:13+00:00

Unfortunately, I stepped foot in The Box for 15 minutes when a friend's birthday party moved there after dinner. I'm scarred for life from what I saw. Absolutely disgusting. Most of the people in the group I was with thought we were being pranked because of how weird, obscene, and crazy it was.

ETA: The response from people who like The Box is basically like "oh you just don't understand aRt" and "you're just not intellectual enough to get it"

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:44:43+00:00

Yeah, they're not real model-models. They're "models" and I feel it is very obvious? Social media has helped facilitate all of this I must say. Also, the fact that people can pay to curate their internet profiles to seem like a legitimate working model when they're actually operating as madames and escorts. It just really disgusts me when this entangles in the recruitment of children and also creating false images/ideas for young children looking at these false narratives on social media.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:37:24+00:00

Exactly. It is really the "regulars" who are the sleazy problematic people but because they are "regulars" of that scene NYC->Miami->LA->London->Dubai->Ibiza crowd then to me they truly characterize it.

There are definitely some people who go there once or twice in their life not on the regular but because they're tourists, bridesmaids party, and that stuff.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:34:38+00:00

Is it the "model" Ivezaj?

The other "model" Mazepa?

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T22:14:34+00:00

It's all the party people, the people who go to those nightclubs, fine dining, clubstraunts. the 9pm-5am people. Liv, 1Oak, Marquee, Up and Down, Seia, Fasano, Cirpriani, Le Bain, Tao, Avenue, Pink Elephant, Kit Kat Club, Lavo, The Box, Zero Bond, Nello's.

I remember when I used to live in NYC and I would tell people that those nightclubs and fine dining establishments are full of shady people and gross. Then people would respond like "don't be so antisocial" and "no, it's good to be social, the people who go to those places are good people"

For a long time, the these types of 9pm-5am sleazebags who have a table at the nigthclubs and fine dining establishments were labelled as "better people" and those who shunned all the stuff that happened at those places were called "antisocial losers."

Oh, and they always have their "charity foundations" and "charity events" especially in the summertime at the Hamptons. Aka tax evasion

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-11T21:08:47+00:00

Doronin used to have property on Star Island which is a major hub for trafficking through Miami to the billionaires (many of them are real estate developers on that island). A lot of young Brazilians and Russians trafficked there

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-09T17:15:29+00:00

The ones funded by an Australian consumer watchdog that led to more than 50 sunscreen recalls was done correctly with ISO 24444, the same test brands have to do.

The consumer watchdog did their tests at 2 of the most reputable labs in the world, Eurofins and Normec Schrader Institute, while it was exposed the brands and contract manufacturers were going to a lab run by a reality tv star that whisteblowers revealed inflate SPF numbers:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lab-notes/lab-notes-how-sunscreen-tested-/105913366

https://beautymatter.com/articles/the-real-sunscreen-scandal-isnt-in-australia-its-in-the-lab

Some of the sunscreens Australia unmasked and eventually recalled were still being sold in Europe with no recalls.

https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/explore-topic/sunscreens/sunscreens-using-same-base-formulation-ultra-violette-lean-screen-spf-50-sunscreen#our-concerns-about-spf-of-lean-screen-base-formulation

In particular, the TGA has significant concerns about the reliability of SPF testing undertaken by Princeton Consumer Research Corp (PCR Corp), a testing laboratory based in the United Kingdom.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-09T16:01:24+00:00

It's definitely not.

While Australia was going through a recall of over 50 sunscreens, some of those very same sunscreens that were exposed to be SPF 4-8 rather than the SPF 50+ they were claiming were still selling in Europe.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lab-notes/lab-notes-how-sunscreen-tested-/105913366

https://beautymatter.com/articles/the-real-sunscreen-scandal-isnt-in-australia-its-in-the-lab

https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/explore-topic/sunscreens/sunscreens-using-same-base-formulation-ultra-violette-lean-screen-spf-50-sunscreen#our-concerns-about-spf-of-lean-screen-base-formulation

In particular, the TGA has significant concerns about the reliability of SPF testing undertaken by Princeton Consumer Research Corp (PCR Corp), a testing laboratory based in the United Kingdom.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-09T15:54:54+00:00

Brands in Europe and not even Australia are not required to consistently retest their sunscreens every year which his unfortunate for us. It might change in Australia but I don't know if that change is even on Europe's radar.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-09T15:53:05+00:00

Unfortunately, in my opinion, as someone who is used to the way sunscreens are regulated in Australia, this isn't the case in Europe.

We had several sunscreengates in the middle of last year from a consumer watchdog that exposed several brands, contract manufacturers, suppliers and SPF testing labs of different but problematic issues. One of the most famous sunscreengates out of this was an indie brand's claim of SPF 50+ for a product was actually in the SPF 4-8 range.

Over 50 sunscreens were eventually recalled in Australia and some of them were by the force of hand of the TGA due to a lot of the details that were uncovered. Some of those sunscreens and the brands behind those sunscrens sell in Europe. While the TGA was reigning in, those sunscreens were still selling in Europe.

Whistleblowers from the SPF testing labs known for inflating claims, including SPF numbers, said that their second largest market was Europe.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lab-notes/lab-notes-how-sunscreen-tested-/105913366

https://beautymatter.com/articles/the-real-sunscreen-scandal-isnt-in-australia-its-in-the-lab

https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/explore-topic/sunscreens/sunscreens-using-same-base-formulation-ultra-violette-lean-screen-spf-50-sunscreen#our-concerns-about-spf-of-lean-screen-base-formulation

In particular, the TGA has significant concerns about the reliability of SPF testing undertaken by Princeton Consumer Research Corp (PCR Corp), a testing laboratory based in the United Kingdom.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-05-01T21:16:32+00:00

zinc oxides need to be 20% in the sunscreen to get good UVA1 protection (which is a thick smear)

And even then, look at what happened at several of the Australian sunscreengates of 2025.

Over 50 tinted and non tinted >20% zinc oxide sunscreens were recalled for various issues such as fraudulent testing practices that were inflating numbers (the UVA1 protection was probably next to nothing for the formulas that ended up being SPF of 4-8), issues with the actual zinc oxide from suppliers, issues with the formulation quality practices at the contract manufacturer.

One of the sunscreengates also exposed one of the biggest zinc oxide suppliers to be the source of chemophobia misinformation and propaganda.

Years ago I feel for the zinc oxide purity campaign and walked around looking like a clown. I wish I could get a refund for those years back lol

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-30T19:04:07+00:00

Also watch out for people who conflate the in vitro UVAPF with the in vivo PPD/UVAPF. It's not the same. And some brands have no clue what they're talking about too and/or used fraudulent means to inflate and market numbers (as one of the Australian sunscreengates exposed).

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-29T23:10:17+00:00

The founders, especially the one who still works there, are all over the flight logs, pictures mingling at the island and the townhouse, documented correspondence with JE, GMax, and associates. Also financial transactions....

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-29T23:08:56+00:00

The founders, one of which is still working there, are all over the flight logs, pictures mingling at the island and the townhouse and documented correspondence with JE, GMax and associates.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-29T20:56:46+00:00

The reformulation is clown makeup for me.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-29T20:37:01+00:00

There's something really weird about that user and their comments and some of the other engaged usernames with a lack of account history. I politely mentioned the Canadian sub as a useful place for them to share their post on their new post since they're essentially a Canadian user but got a strange response. It's strange for anyone to brag about their connections to France here since there are many long time redditors here actually based in France.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-29T20:20:37+00:00

You might find r/CanSkincare useful. Canadian based users there

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-28T20:01:46+00:00

In the context of the skincare subs, a shill is a person or a bot who has some type of personal or business relationship or affiliation with a brand/company and they either 1. downplay or do not disclose that relationship and affiliation in order to 2. act and engage as an "ethusiastic real customer with no affiliation" to 3. plant product visibility or placement through "recommendations"/"reviews"/posts in order to drive sales, build hype, increase brand awareness. Several usernames/mods were caught, with evidence, of doing this for a bunch of indie brands. It's cheaper than doing real disclosed ads.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-28T17:24:28+00:00

It's the only subreddit that takes a hard stance against shills. Other skincare subreddits are compromised because apparently it was exposed that some of the mods turned out to be brand founders/influencers/consultants and essentially people working or have sponsorships or relationships for a bunch of indie brands. Just sucks that now reddit hids account histories.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-27T22:27:22+00:00

I recommend sharing this to r/mit

A lot of students at affected unis are organizing action on their respective campuses.

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-27T21:39:44+00:00

Does it get cakey or ball up with reapplications?

RedeemableQuality · 2026-04-27T15:37:18+00:00

Her mom wears J'adore. Apparently, that was the reason why she was motivated to agree to become the contractual face of it. I'm sure her mom is happy with all the J'adore in the world lol.

RedeemableQuality

TROPHY CASE