In a landmark ruling, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office clinched a settlement with Sun Bum, marking it as the first successful judgment against a sunscreen manufacturer for deceitful “reef friendly” advertising, as reported earlier today. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Sun Bum’s advertising misleadingly conveyed its products as safe for marine ecosystems, despite containing chemicals potentially detrimental to coral reefs.
The suit, settled last Friday and presided over by the Honorable Shella Deen, ordered Sun Bum to fork up $300,000 in civil penalties, and it is prohibited from advertising its chemical sunscreens as “reef friendly,” encapsulating terms, drawings, symbols, or photos of coral reefs. Revelations about the harmful impacts of certain sunscreen ingredients on aquatic life have not been hidden, having garnered attention in numerous scientific studies and articles over the years. Still, with claims like these plastered on products, consumers' desire to make environmentally conscious decisions becomes ironically hazardous to the habitats they wish to protect.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized the commitment to guard both consumers and the environment by stating, “Consumers are looking for environmentally friendly products,” and "We are looking out for consumers and the environment by enforcing the law and correcting misleading claims." Sun Bum’s cooperation with the prosecutors led to removing the contentious “reef friendly” advertising materials from retail spaces and the promise to stand down from making such claims.
In the wake of Hawaii’s 2018 ban on oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemicals known to be toxic to reefs, Sun Bum and other brands started labeling their sunscreens as “reef friendly.” Acting in spirit with the settlement, Sun Bum is also donating $25,000 to the Fish Reef Project to support reef restoration in California, which has taken a welcoming attitude, restoring both rocky reefs and marine kelp forests essential to coastal marine life.
