The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has settled a consumer protection lawsuit against Southern California sunscreen manufacturer Sun Bum for misleading customers by advertising its products as “reef friendly.”
The case settlement was approved by the Superior Court Judge Shella Deen on May 2. Sun Bum was ordered by the court to pay $300,000 in civil penalties and to not advertise any of its chemical sunscreens as “reef friendly,” “reef compliant,” or with a drawing, symbol, or photo of a coral reef.
Sun Bum cooperated with prosecutors, made changes to its advertising, and agreed to remove “reef friendly” materials from stores. Additionally, as part of the settlement, Sun Bum agreed to pay $25,000 to fund a reef restoration project in California by a non-profit organization called the Fish Reef Project. Rocky reefs and kelp reefs are important marine habitats off the coast of California.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the judgment is the first one obtained by any prosecutor against a major sunscreen manufacturer for “reef friendly” advertising.
The toxic effects of chemical sunscreen ingredients on reefs and marine life have been documented for years in numerous articles and published scientific studies.
The DA’s complaint against Sun Bum alleged that its advertising was false and misleading because other chemicals in its sunscreen were harmful to reefs.
"Consumers are looking for environmentally friendly products,” Rosen said in a statement. “We are looking out for consumers and the environment by enforcing the law and correcting misleading claims.”
“Reef friendly” claims spread across the industry beginning in 2018, when the state of Hawaii passed a ban on two chemical ingredients — oxybenzone and octinoxate — that are harmful to reefs, according to the DA’s office.
Without the two chemicals, sunscreen makers began claiming their products were “reef friendly.” Sun Bum’s advertising included “reef friendly” photo cards shipped to stores between 2018 and 2021 and were displayed for several years.
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.
