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Sunscreen Can Have a High Price

Cosmetics are a tricky subject, especially when it comes to makeup that is supposed to protect you health. There is a difference between promoting a lipstick that is not supposed to have a direct influence on your health, rather than on your looks, and promoting an anti-aging cream, that is supposed to influence some more complex processes in your body, rather than simply adding color to your lips.

Therefore, when L`Oreal claimed in its latest advertisement that its new sunscreen protects better from the UVA rays than the sunscreen from Johnson and Johnson`s Neutrogena unit, a scandal erupted. J&J is outraged and has already filed a suit. Among the many claims of the suit are the demands to stop using the promotional material featuring false alleges and to present corrective advertisements that will be spread to everyone who were exposed to the first ad, containing false accusations.

There is, actually, truth to the matter. The types of claims that were presented in the notorious ad could hurt the J&J`s reputation significantly. Numerous healthcare professionals are accustomed to recommend the products of the company, due to its objective qualities. Now, however, the reputation has been disputed. Thus, L`Oreal in addition to everything else might have to pay for all the J&J`s legal costs and punitive damages. Currently, the mentioned J&J sunscreen makes approximately $100 million in annual sales only in the USA. Soon J&J`s executives will be able to measure how the infamous ad affected this number.