Jessica Alba, actress turned entrepreneur, is not having a very good month. A few weeks ago consumers using sunscreen from Alba’s The Honest Company, complained on social media that the product did nothing to prevent sunburns. A harsher blow came with a new lawsuit against the company, claiming that it deceptively and misleadingly labeled and marketed products.
The class action lawsuit was filed by Jonathan D. Rubin and it involves some pretty serious allegations against the professed “natural” products the company claims to produce and sell. Firstly, the lawsuit maintain that the Honest Hand Soap, Honest Dish Soap, Honest Diapers and Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner actually contain synthetic preservatives, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, a synthetic surfactant, and Sodium Polycrylate, a petrochemical-based additive. Also, the lawsuit maintains the company’s sunscreen “ineffective.” Rubin demands that profits made from these products be refunded to consumers, for a total of at least $5 million.
The Honest Company was recently valued at $1.7 billion and had just raised another $100 million round funding. With big money at stake the company and Alba herself were quick to defend their product and their brand.
The Honest Co. responded: “Our Sunscreen Lotion was tested, by an independent third party, against the protocols prescribed by the US Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) monograph for over-the-counter sunscreen products. The results showed that our product is effective and safe for use …” The statement continued, “The number of complaints received on our own website about our Sunscreen Lotion constitute less than one half of one per cent of all units actually sold at honest.com.” “We stand behind the safety and efficacy of this product.”
Alba, who became one of the richest women in Hollywood due to her successful entrepreneurship, issued a statement to Pret-a-Reporter, and called the lawsuit “baseless and without merit.” Alba went on to defend the company and its declared values:
“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 . . . . 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. . . . 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.”
With consumer complaints mounting and considering the fact that the FDA doesn’t in any way regulate any usage of the term “natural,” the integrity of Alba’s company and its alleged commitment to keeping it “natural” is quickly becoming questionable. There’s no doubt Alba used her celebrity status to make her business successful, but will she be able to use it to save her company from losing credibility? Time will tell.
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