Primally Pure has been referred to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after failing to respond to an inquiry by the National Advertising Division (NAD).
The California-based skin care business is facing a review and possible enforcement action for failure to submit a “substantive response” to implied claims in its online advertising.
NAD challenged advert claims for the brand’s Primally Pure Sun Cream, including a statement that said it is a safer alternative to conventional sunscreens.
Primally Pure claimed these conventional sunscreens have toxic ingredients that can have adverse health effects, according to NAD.
NAD added in a statement: “Despite numerous outreach attempts, Primally Pure failed to respond to NAD’s inquiry and therefore NAD has referred the matter to the appropriate government agency, in this case the FTC, and to the platforms on which Primally Pure’s advertising appeared and NAD has a reporting relationship.”
The news follows Ultra Violette pulling its Lean Screen Mineral Mattifying Skinscreen SPF50+ from shelves after new tests found a “pattern of inconsistency” in its SPF results.
This came in response to Australian consumer advocacy group Choice publishing an investigation in June into the SPF claims of several sunscreen brands.
The group’s testing found that 16 of 20 brands failed to provide the level of skin protection advertised on their bottles, including Ultra Violette.
Other sunscreen brands then paused sales of some of their products in Australia over concerns that they may not offer consumers the stated levels of SPF.
Outside Beauty & Skincare, Aspect, Found My Skin and Endota became the latest companies to act after the investigation by Choice brought the issue to light.
Cosmetics Business has contacted Primally Pure for a comment.
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