DA obtains second “Reef Friendly” settlement for false advertising of sunscreen

For release on June 13, 2025

CONTACT:

Christopher Judge
Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit 
(408) 792-2623
[email protected]

DA obtains second “reef friendly” settlement for false advertising of sunscreen

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has settled a civil lawsuit for $350,000 against Supergoop for misleading consumers by saying that its chemical sunscreens were “reef friendly” and “reef safe.” 

This judgment follows a similar settlement the DA’s Office obtained last month with Sun Bum. This is the third company that the DA’s Office has publicly identified as having used these misleading advertising claims.

The toxic effects of chemical sunscreen ingredients on reefs and marine life have been documented for years in numerous articles and published scientific studies. 

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said: “We are keeping a close watch on the industry to protect consumers from getting burned by false and misleading advertising.”

“Reef friendly” and “reef safe” claims started spreading in 2018, when the state of Hawaii passed a ban on two chemical sunscreen ingredients — oxybenzone and octinoxate — that are harmful to reefs. The District Attorney’s complaint against Supergoop alleged that its advertising was false and misleading because other chemicals in its sunscreens were harmful to reefs.

The settlement was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court on June 3, 2025. Supergoop was ordered by the court to pay $350,000 in civil penalties and not advertise any of its chemical sunscreens as “reef friendly,” “reef safe,” or with a drawing, symbol, or photo of a coral reef. 

Separately, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the maker of Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens for similar “reef friendly” advertising claims, in a court case that was filed on March 24, 2025. That case is pending.

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