Ultra Violette sues Wild Child Laboratories over sunscreen SPF claims

Sunscreen brand Ultra Violette is suing its manufacturer, Wild Child Laboratories, for ‘misleading’ and ‘deceptive’ conduct. The legal action seeks $7 million in damages following the recall of the brand’s Lean Screen SPF50+ sunscreen.

The recall was prompted after testing by the consumer advocacy group Choice revealed the product had an SPF of only 4. Ultra Violette reported that seven subsequent tests conducted by four different laboratories yielded highly inconsistent results, ranging from an SPF of 2.9 to 25.18.

Wild Child Laboratories entered voluntary administration in August, facing debts exceeding $19 million owed to 11 different sunscreen companies and more than $400,000 owed to the Australian Taxation Office. Prior to liquidation, Wild Child sold its assets to Heliora, a new company operated by the same CEO and director. Liquidators are currently reviewing the circumstances of this transaction.