Hawaiian Tropic Lawsuit Alleges ‘SPF 50’ Sunscreen Does Not Provide Advertised Sun Protection Benefits

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Edgewell Personal Care Brands faces a proposed class action lawsuit that claims Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50 sunscreen provides a much lower sun protection factor than advertised.

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The 33-page lawsuit claims that the actual SPF level of the “Everyday Active SPF 50 Sport Sunscreen Lotion” is closer to SPF 20, less than half of what Edgewell advertises. According to the complaint, this SPF number was ascertained after the plaintiffs’ attorneys submitted the product to an independent lab for a “clinical evaluation of static sunscreen efficacy” following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for testing and labeling sunscreens.  

“SPF 20 protection affords users a significantly shorter period of exposure to ultraviolet radiation without damage when compared to the period of exposure to ultraviolet radiation without damage that SPF 50 protection affords,” the suit states.

Due to the risks of melanoma, sunburn and premature aging that can come from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, medical organizations have stressed the importance of protecting the skin from the sun and using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, the filing relays.

Per the complaint, Edgewell was aware that it was manufacturing sunscreen with an SPF level lower than 50 because industry-standard testing would reveal “the protection against ultraviolet radiation provided by the product” before it was “labeled, advertised, promoted, marketed, distributed, and offered for sale to consumers.”

The plaintiffs in the case both claim to have incurred damage after using the sunscreen and discovering it did not work as advertised. Per the suit, the consumers had respectively purchased the product based on the belief that the “premium price” sunscreen “provides greater protection against the sun’s harmful rays than its lower-SPF sunscreen counterparts.”  

This is not the first time Edgewell has been under scrutiny for allegedly falsely advertised sunscreen products, as two separate lawsuits in 2021 alleged that certain Banana Boat sunscreen sprays allegedly contained a known carcinogen called benzene and that others may have been falsely advertised as safe for marine life.

Currently, there is no recall in place. Edgewell continues to sell its Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50 lotion directly and at several retail stores, including CVS, Target, and Ulta Beauty, for a price ranging from $10 to $15 for an 8-fluid-ounce bottle.

The Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen lawsuit looks to cover anyone in the United States who purchased Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active SPF 50 Sunscreen for personal and/or household use during the applicable statute of limitations period.

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