The Santa Monica based household products brand ‘Honest Company’ is currently undergoing a lawsuit due to the dishonest nature of some of its ingredients. Co-founder Jessica Alba launched the company five years ago, promising toxin-free products such as diapers, shampoos, soaps and cleaning solutions. The popular brand boasted a “culture of honesty” and earned more than $220 million, making it one of the region’s biggest venture-backed startups. However, multiple class action lawsuits followed by a Wall Street Journal report about chemicals used in the company’s laundry detergent have cast doubts as to whether or not Honest Company actually lives up to its name.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a skin irritant, was found in Honest brand laundry detergent, though it is on their list of harmful ingredients supposedly banned from all of the company’s products. Class action lawsuits in New York and California accuse Honest of falsely advertising their products as plant-based and free of harsh chemicals. The company has dismissed all allegations stating that there are no current regulations on the definition of the term “natural” in personal care products. The lawsuits and negative press have had adversely affected the company’s public image.
Just last year, consumers expressed concern over social media about the brand’s “natural” sunscreen lotion, posting pictures of sunburns sustained while using the brand’s sunscreen and accusing the lotion of being ineffective. Company co-founder Brian Lee stated that the accusations were based on bad science, saying that Honest uses the ingredient sodium coco sulfate, which shares some of SLS’s molecular markers but does not cause skin irritation.
If you have suffered due to harmful ingredients in household products due to misleading marketing by companies such as Honest, the product liability lawyers of Hodes Milman can provide you with the assistance you need. Contact us today online at verdictvictory.com or call (949) 640-8222 for a complimentary case evaluation.
