When Consumer Reports released its study that not all sunscreen was living up to their proclaimed SPF ratings in May, it had a lot of people taking a second look at their products. The test, which rated more than 60 sunscreens that hit the SPF claim of 30 or higher, found that 43 percent failed to meet the number they were boasting, with some coming in under an SPF of 15—a number far less than the recommended 30.
Now, a Brooklyn man, Paul Lambrakis, has filed a class action suit against the makers of Banana Boat Sunscreen, saying he bought a bottle of the lotion—which said it had an SPF of 50—for his daughter. After he read the Consumer Reports study, he sent the bottle for testing to a lab in North Carolina. What they found? The lotion only came in at an SPF of 12.69.
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The suit seeks class action for anyone who was forced to “overpay for the sunscreen based upon false, inflated SPF.”
“Defendants have known, or should have known, for years that Banana Boat Kids SPF 50 products contain less UV protection than Defendants advertise,” the lawsuit states.
Edgewood Personal Care, which owns Playtex, the parent company of Banana Boat sunscreen told TODAY the company does not comment on ongoing litigation but provided a statement:
“We stand behind the accurate labeling of our products. All Banana Boat products and undergo rigorous internal and independent testing to ensure they meet all relevant FDA regulations, including for their stated levels of SPF protection. People can feel confident using our products for safe and effective sun protection, when applied as directed.”
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