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Sun Protection Fraud? Class Actions Dispute Brands' Claimed SPFs

 
• By Ryan Nelson

Banana Boat owner Edgewell Personal Care is among firms caught up in putative class actions challenging the authenticity of their SPF claims on sunscreen products, with plaintiffs citing Consumer Reports findings as well as their own commissioned tests from independent labs. Attempts to dismiss suits on the basis of preemption arguments or company-owned SPF data have not been successful to date.

Putative class actions challenging the truthfulness of SPF claims on sunscreen products are advancing in US federal courts, setting the stage for possible expert witness showdowns to interpret conflicting test results cited by plaintiffs and defendants.

Edgewell Personal Care, Pharmaceutical Specialties, Inc. and Swiss-American Products, Inc. are among firms battling such suits, which cite third-party lab...

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