Girl, 6, covered in blisters 'after using spray sunscreen'
A Queensland mother says her family's holiday turned into a nightmare after her children broke out in blisters using a popular sunscreen.
Vanessa Munroe, from Broadmere, took her two children, aged six and 11, on a camping trip from Friday to Sunday and purchased Banana Boat's SPF50+ Sun Comfort clear spray to keep them protected.
She said just one minute after spraying her daughter with the product and rubbing it in, Ruby started to blister on her lips, chin and under her eyes.
"She was up all night and the blisters were so big they’d pop themselves," Ms Munroe told Yahoo7.
"Her lips turned a yellowy colour."
The mother said her son Wade was also left in pain after spending time in the sun.
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"I followed the instructions and put the sunscreen on him every two to three hours during the day and he got badly sunburnt," Ms Munroe said.
"I knew they were swimming so I'd get him out every few hours and make him sit down and put it on."
Pictures show Wade with red patches on his face and a large blister on his shoulder and one of Ruby reveals her blistered mouth.
Ms Munroe said she took Ruby to a chemist on Sunday, who said it appeared she had suffered a chemical burn.
"She hasn’t been able to eat properly and I've kept her off acidic foods like oranges and olives," she said.
In a statement to Yahoo7, a spokesperson for Edgewell Personal Care Australia said it wanted to reassure consumers they can feel "confident" using their products.
"We were very sorry to hear about Vanessa's family’s experience," the statement read.
"All Banana Boat sunscreen products undergo rigorous testing and meet the high Australian standards as administered by the Therapeutic Goods Association.
"A chemical burn is a serious condition and the substances that cause such burns are not present in sunscreens.
"As with many personal care products, there are some consumers that can experience adverse reactions or irritation, which is why we recommend that all consumers patch test sunscreens on their skin before first use.
"At Banana Boat, we want to stress sunscreen is only one part of an important combination of actions people must take to protect themselves against the sun. We always recommend our consumers avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, seek shade between the hours of 10am and 3pm and always wear protective clothing, hats and eyewear.
"It’s also important to follow our product label instructions: always store sunscreen in accordance with its labels, use only as directed and reapply frequently as directed.
"The TGA have also recently conducted an independent audit of sunscreens in Australia, including Banana Boat and found our products to be fully compliant, including Sun Comfort Sunscreen."
