Supergoop reaches $350K settlement in South Bay court over 'misleading' sunscreen claims
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 10: A view of the atmosphere at the Supergoop! #ProtectYourPosse event with Maria Sharapova on January 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Supergoop!)
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has reached a settlement against beauty company Supergoop for allegedly misleading customers about their sunscreens being reef-friendly and reef-safe.
The DA's office settled the civil lawsuit for $350,000 against the sun protection company, officials announced Friday.
The settlement was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court on June 3.
The backstory:
The lawsuit was filed over claims about chemical sunscreens claiming to be healthy for reefs. In 2018, the state of Hawaii banned the two harmful ingredients, oxybenzone and octinoxate, over their impact on reefs.
Around this time, claims about chemical sunscreens without these ingredients were being touted as reef-friendly or reef-safe, officials said.
The DA’s complaint against Supergoop alleged that its advertising was false and misleading because other chemicals in its sunscreens were also harmful to reefs.
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Dig deeper:
The settlement comes a month after the DA's office settled a similar case against Sun Bum, based in Southern California.
Supergoop is the third company the DA's office publicly identified as using misleading advertising claims against their products, officials said.
In addition to the fine, Supergoop also cannot advertise its chemical sunscreens as reef-friendly or reef-safe, or have drawings, symbols, or photos of a coral reef.
What they're saying:
"We are keeping a close watch on the industry to protect consumers from getting burned by false and misleading advertising," DA Jeff Rosen said.
The DA's office also has a separate case against the maker of Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens for similar claims. That case is pending.
"An environmental catchphrase may be profitable to the company’s bottom line," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen, "but our bottom line is the law that protects consumers from irresponsible advertising," Rosen said about that case.
KTVU reached out to Supergoop over the recent settlement but did not hear in time for publication.
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The Source: Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office