Adding to Australia’s growing sunscreen concerns, two popular sunscreen brands have been slammed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for alleged greenwashing.
Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat sunscreens are being accused of greenwashing, with the ACCC claiming manufacturer Edgewell Personal Care Pty Ltd and its US-based parent company, Edgewell Personal Care Company (Edgewell PCC), misled customers into believing they were “reef friendly”.
In its statement, the consumer watchdog cites that while Edgewell PCC claimed its products are “reef friendly” because it doesn’t contain “oxybenzone or octinoxate” — chemicals that are damaging to ocean ecosystems — the ACCC alleged that they do contain other ingredients that could affect ocean life or pose a risk of harm.
As listed by the ACCC, these chemicals include “octocrylene, homosalate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (also known as 4-MBC or enzacamene), and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (also known as avobenzone)”.
Furthermore, the ACCC claimed that Edgewell Australia and Edgewell PCC were made aware of these ingredients, as well as recent studies that indicated that the chemicals could harm or pose a risk of harm towards reefs. They further alleged that neither company paid for any testing regarding their products and their effects on ocean biodiversity.
“We allege that Edgewell engaged in greenwashing by making claims about the environmental benefits of Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat sunscreens that it had no reasonable or scientific basis to make,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
While Edgewell PCC removed the “reef friendly” label from its products in the US in 2020, the consumer watchdog claimed the label appeared on Aussie products up until December 2024.
“Many consumers consider environmental factors when purchasing products. By engaging in this alleged greenwashing, we say Edgewell deprived consumers of the ability to make an informed decision and may have prevented them from purchasing a different brand of sunscreen that did not contain chemicals which risked causing harm to reefs,” Lowe continued.
“We believe this conduct was widespread and risked potentially misleading a large number of consumers. The sunscreen products were supplied throughout Australia over a period of four years, including in large stores and online websites.
“Businesses should not shy away from promoting the environmental credentials of their products, but they must be able to substantiate any claims, for example, through reputable third-party certification or reliable scientific reports.”
Edgewell Australia responds to the ACCC’s greenwashing claims
Speaking to The Australian, a spokesperson for Edgewell Australia said the company would be defending its claims in court.
“Edgewell has fully cooperated with the ACCC throughout its investigation and firmly stands by the claims it has made,” the spokesperson said.
“The proceedings will be defended on that basis. As this is active litigation, Edgewell will not provide further comments at this time.”
The allegations of greenwashing against Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic comes shortly after advocacy group, CHOICE, sent shockwaves across the nation after it tested 20 SPF50 and SPF50+ sunscreens to see if it was true to their SPF50 claim. Only four of the products met the mark.
However, some brands, like Ultra Violette, have refuted the results of CHOICE’s tests.
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