The manufacturer of a popular sunscreen that returned the worst result in SPF testing by consumer group Choice has pulled its product from the shelves.

After testing 20 popular SPF 50 or 50-plus sunscreens across a range of brands, Choice revealed in June that only four met their SPF claims.

It said the worst offender was Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Skinscreen, which claimed a sun protection factor of 50-plus but was actually only four.

Ultra Violette announced on Friday that after a “pattern of inconsistency” in further testing it had done at multiple independent labs, it had decided to immediately withdraw Lean/Velvet Screen from the market.

In addition, it said people who had bought the sunscreen would be eligible for a refund or product voucher.

“We want to make it clear that this only concerns the performance of Lean Screen,” the company said.

“Additional testing on all Ultra Violette products has reinforced our confidence in the rest of our line.”

Ultra Violette said that across eight different tests, Lean Screen had now returned SPF data of 4, 10, 21, 26, 33, 60, 61, and 64, adding: “That wasn’t good enough for us, and it isn’t good enough for you.”

Results shared by Ultra Violette from the new tests on Lean Screen.

SPF measures how effective sunscreen is at protecting a wearer’s skin from UVB rays.

Sunscreens that failed to meet their SPF claims in the Choice tests included products by the Cancer Council, Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Woolworths, Bondi Sands and Aldi.

Although the consumer group said the tests were carried out by experts in a specialised, accredited sunscreen lab, the results were disputed by some of the brands – including Ultra Violette.

At the time, Ultra Violette said Lean Screen had been on the market for five years in 29 countries and had not received a single substantiated claim of sunburn during use.

“If the Choice results were at all feasible, we would have had hundreds of cases of reported sunburn and skin damage while using this product in real life situations,” it said.

This week, the company said it was “deeply sorry” one of its products had fallen short of expected standards. It said it would no longer work with the third-party manufacturer that made Lean Screen, and would change its testing procedures.

Choice CEO Ashley de Silva said Ultra Violette’s announcement confirmed there was a “clear problem” with how sunscreen was regulated and tested in Australia.

“Without CHOICE’s investigation, Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen would still be on shelves, despite the fact that it does not provide anywhere near the amount of sun protection it claims to,” he said.

“CHOICE is calling on the TGA to urgently provide an update on its investigation.

“Ultra Violette’s product may not be the only product that is affected and consumers deserve to know whether they can continue to trust SPF claims in Australia.”