More trouble for Jessica Alba. The actress' Honest Company has been hit with yet another lawsuit, this time due to a claim of false advertising.
On Thursday, March 24, in Missouri, a woman named Margo Smith filed a lawsuit seeking class action status based on the complaint that Honest has deceptively marketed a number of its cleaning products, including its laundry detergent and dish soap. Smith alleges that Honest uses sodium lauryl sulfate, while the company insists that is not the case.
“The claims alleged in the lawsuit are without merit and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against them,” The Honest Company told Us Weekly.
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The legal action comes on the heels of an investigation conducted by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the $1.7 billion brand's laundry detergent contains the harsh chemical, which the company publicly vowed never to use in its products. In response, Honest told Us that it actually uses sodium coco sulfate derived from coconuts, as it's a "gentler alternative that is less irritating and safer to use."
This isn't the first time the Honest Company has been hit with a lawsuit. In February, the Santa Monica–based brand, which Alba cofounded in 2011, was accused of mislabeling products as all-natural while still using "toxic ingredients." Likewise, last September, more than one person claimed that the brand was being "deceptive and misleading," selling eco-friendly products that were actually made with "synthetic" materials.
And though not a lawsuit, when the brand formulated its sunscreen last summer, multiple consumers took to social media to share pictures of their sunburned bodies as proof that the zinc-based formula did not offer proper coverage.
But time and time again, Alba and co. have stood by their products. "We’ve gone through extensive third-party testing in accordance with government regulations and our Sunscreen Lotion passed all SPF 30 testing requirements. It also received the best score possible from the Environmental Working Group (EWG)," she and cofounder Christopher Gavigan shared in response to the sunscreen debate. "We care about taking every precaution possible to ensure that your product experience will keep you healthy and happy."
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Despite the lawsuits, Honest continues to thrive. The brand launched a beauty line in 2015. Plus, Alba just celebrated the launch of the latest baby collection, which boasts illustrated diapers with a Parisian theme, in NYC.
Us Weekly has reached out for a comment.
