Plaintiff Alleges Sunscreen Isn't as Powerful as Advertised

A plaintiff filed the class action complaint against Clinique Laboratories on Dec. 29 in California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to allegations made in her class action lawsuit, Clinique falsely advertises its “Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid for Face” as providing SPF 50 protection, even though it only provides SPF 26 protection.

The plaintiff claims that independent lab testing revealed the sunscreen offers “far less” protection than advertised, deceiving consumers into paying a premium for a product that does not deliver the promised sun protection.

“Defendant’s practices of falsely, deceptively and misleadingly representing that the product provides SPF protection of 50 … induced the plaintiff and numerous other consumers into either purchasing a product they otherwise would not have purchased at all, or paying significantly more for a product than they would have paid had it been labeled, distributed, advertised and promoted with accurate SPF representations,” the Clinique class action lawsuit alleges.

Class Action Against Clinique Laboratories

The plaintiff claims they purchased the Clinique sunscreen from Macy’s website for $25.90, relying on the SPF 50 claim.

They said they would not have bought the product, or would have paid less, had they known the true SPF rating.

The class action lawsuit alleges that Clinique’s false advertising not only misleads consumers but also poses potential health risks by giving them a false sense of security about the level of sun protection they are receiving. 

The plaintiff looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased Clinique’s SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid for Face. They are suing for unjust enrichment, unfair competition, false advertising, breach of warranty, fraud and negligent misrepresentation and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.