Daily Mail 6-8-17 (Honest Co)
EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Alba’s Honest Company agrees to pay $1.55 million class action settlement after claims of ‘dishonest’ advertising about a chemical used in cleaning products
8 June 2017
Jessica Alba’s Honest Company has agreed to shell out $1.55 million in a class action lawsuit settlement for misleading customers about omitting a chemical from their products.
DailyMail.com has learned the Fantastic Four actress’ company filed to settle a lawsuit claiming its laundry detergent, dish soap and multi-surface cleaner did not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or SLS, is a common ingredient used in many household cleaners and can cause a rash in a high concentration.
The billion-dollar company boasts non-toxic products and sells at major retailers such as Walmart, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Honest acknowledged its products contained a ‘gentler alternative’ to SLS called Sodium Coco Sulfate or SCS. However, the court documents note SLS is a component of SCS.
The lawsuit was pending for over a year until documents were filed June 5, revealing the company reached a settlement.
In March 2016, the Wall Street Journal published a report which noted two independent labs found SLS in Honest’s detergent.
The company hit back on its website claiming ‘the Journal clearly had the goal of harming the reputation and good will that we are so proud to have built here.’ It claimed the paper never tested for SCS which is less processed than SLS.
But over one year later, Honest filed to settle and pay out unhappy customers.
The settlement allows customers who bought the products to choose payment by check or in the form of credit usable for purchases at Honest.com. The credit back to Honest will be worth 1.5 times the dollar recovery amount.
The court documents go on to say: ‘Under the Settlement, Class Members will be allowed to make claims without proof of purchase for Product purchases of up to $50.00. Class Members with valid proof of purchase will be able to file claim for purchases in excess of $50.00.’
Any un-cashed settlement checks will be redistributed to the class members or donated to the skin research charity, the Dermatology Foundation
Per the settlement, Alba’s company has agreed to reformulate the products to remove SCS and certify that the reformulated products do not contain SLS. Honest must also refrain from marketing products that contain SCS as being SLS free.
In October the company said they would reformulate products to have a sugar-based surfactant technology.
The website claims the detergent is in fact ‘made without: SLS, fragrances, dyes, chlorine, DEA, formaldehyde carriers, or optical brighteners.
The court documents state the company must change its advertising because the central allegation in the suit was to prevent future purchasers from being misled by Honest.
Alba’s company has been hit with several lawsuits pertaining to misleading marketing since it was founded in 2011.
Honest was sued in 2016 for claiming its shampoo and body wash contained unnatural ingredients despite being labeled natural and non-toxic.
The company denied the allegations saying they were ‘baseless’.
The company’s sunscreen went viral the summer of 2015 when customers posted photos showing severe sunburns after using the product.
The company was then hit with a $5 million lawsuit and also claimed the company used unnatural ingredients.
