California Naturel Misled Consumers, Says FTC

California Naturel falsely advertised that its sunscreen as “all natural,” the FTC said Monday.

In a release, the FTC noted that the firm had stated via its website that its sunscreen contained “only the purest, most luxurious and effective ingredients found in nature.” But California Naturel also admitted that 8 percent of its sunscreen is dimethicone, which is synthetic. In addition, the FTC said that changes to the company’s website did not cure misleading advertising, with a disclaimer visible only after consumers scrolled down and went to the “Add to Cart” button.

The FTC said that the disclaimer should not be one where consumers must “search for and dig out information that contradicts what an advertisement expressly and prominently conveys.” The FTC order, which mandates that California Naturel must not misrepresent ingredients or composition of its products or its natural or synthetic content, stemmed from an administrative complaint lodged against the company in April of this year.