ACTRESS JESSICA ALBA’S startup, The Honest Co., has just been smacked with a lawsuit that accuses five of the products from its Honest line of being “deceptively and misleadingly labeled.”
The plaintiff in the class-action suit, Jonathan D Rubin, says Honest’s products are marketed as “natural” but in fact contain “unnatural ingredients.”
Honest, which sells eco-friendly household products like premium diapers and toothpaste, recently raised $100 million at a $1.7 billion valuation.
But in the past few weeks the company has faced criticism that its sunscreen is ineffective. Some users took to the internet to vent about their sunburns, and Honest responded with a statement that it took all customer complaints very seriously.
The new lawsuit seems to refer to this outcry, as it claims that contrary to Honest’s representations, Honest Sunscreen “was ineffective in preventing unhealthy exposure to harmful UV rays.”
But the real meat of the suit lies in claims that Honest misrepresented its products as natural. Having one potentially defective sunscreen is one thing, but having the entire premise of your company called into question is entirely different.
The suit calls out four products in particular: Honest Hand Soap, Honest Dish Soap, Honest Diapers, and Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner. It says Honest is able to sell these products to consumers at a 10% to 20% markup based on aggressively marketing them as natural.
Rubin interprets the word natural in the company’s marketing to mean they contain no artificial ingredients. He then cites multiple synthetic preservatives (Methylisothiazolinone and Phenoxyethanol) and other synthetic ingredients allegedly contained in the products.
Jessica Alba provided Business Insider with the following statement:
Seven years ago, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was frustrated by the lack of healthy and safe product options for me and my new family.In fact, prior to launching The Honest Company, I began lobbying Congress to require that ingredients used in everyday products are tested for safety prior to entry into the marketplace.I started The Honest Company to develop safe and effective products not just for my children, but for families everywhere.
I am very proud that we have built this company into an industry leader focused on using natural ingredients and developing products that people love.
We believe that consumers deserve to know what’s in their products — whether it’s diapers for their children, cleaning products for their families or beauty products for themselves.
Our formulations are made with integrity and strict standards of safety, and we label each ingredient that goes into every product – not because we have to, but because it’s the right thing to do.
The allegations against us are baseless and without merit. We strongly stand behind our products and the responsibility we have to our consumers. We are steadfast in our commitment to transparency and openness.
I know my children, Honor and Haven, are growing up in a safer home because of our products.
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