Jessica Alba is the co-owner of Honest Company, and it was revealed that she and her partners agreed to pay $1.55 million in settlement of the class action civil lawsuit slapped on them. The consumer goods company has been sued for false advertising.
Honest Company failed to inform buyers that their cleaning products contain a type of toxic ingredient. Apparently, the company did not reveal that several of its products were made with a byproduct of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. This chemical, which is commonly found in cleaning products, was tested to cause skin rashes.
In March 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported that laundry detergent soaps manufactured by Jessica Alba’s The Honest Co. actually have an ingredient which the company promised to avoid. In the WSJ-sponsored test, the detergents were found to contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS.
Two independent laboratories carried out the tests, and both returned the same results. With this issue, a consumer from Missouri filed a lawsuit saying that Honest’s detergents and other products contain certain amounts of SLS.
Jessica Alba has always promoted Honest Company’s products to be safe. However, despite the allegations, she maintained that they do not use the harmful foaming agent for their soaps. The actress/entrepreneur firmly asserted that their goods are eco-friendly and safe for families.
In her book entitled The Honest Life, published in 2013, Alba even advised readers to avoid SLS. She described the chemical as a toxin and even disclosed that she had an allergic reaction when she used products containing SLS.
As a response, the executive officials of The Honest Company also insisted that they used sodium coco sulfate instead of SLS. SCS are made from raw coconut oil, so it means the ingredient is from a natural source.
But then again, the lab researchers said that SCS is known to contain SLS and other compounds. To this argument, Honest Co. stated that SCS and SLS are two different substances. Alba’s company further argued that their own lab tests did not find such dangerous chemical in their soaps.
“Despite providing The Wall Street Journal with substantial evidence to the contrary, they falsely claimed our laundry detergent contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS),” the statement from Honest Co. reads. “To set the record straight, we use Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) in our brand’s laundry detergent because it is a gentler alternative that is less irritating and safer to use.”
Nevertheless, Alba and the other Honest Co. co-founders were revealed to have changed their stance now and agreed to pay $1.55 million in settlement claim in class action suit, Daily Mail reported.
The Honest Company filed to settle the lawsuit early this month. Aside from the compensation, the settlement also ordered Honest Company to remove SCS from its soaps and stop advertising items that have SCS to be SLS free.
In a statement following the settlement, Honest Co. divulged why they chose to end the case and pay the agreed amount.
“We vigorously deny any and all allegations alleged in the lawsuit – specifically that any of our cleaning products contain SLS.”
“However, given the fact that continued litigation could be protracted and expensive, we have settled this lawsuit to limit further costs and distraction to our business. We stand behind the safety and effectiveness of our products and the responsibility we have to our consumers.”
Finally, as directed by the court, Jessica Alba and her company will pay the settlement either in cash or credit that can be used for purchases at Honest.com. Also, the customers can make claims even without proof of purchase for up to $50, but those who have it are eligible for claims of more than the said amount.
[Featured Image by Mat Hayward/Getty Images]