Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Allegedly Not So Honest

Frustrated with the lack of safe and eco-friendly products for her new baby, movie and television star Jessica Alba teamed up with Christian Gavigan to found The Honest Company. With an emphasis on ethical consumerism, The Honest Company produces a number of non-toxic household products including diapers, sunscreen, and personal care items, among others. With such a benevolent name, The Honest Company holds itself to pretty high standards and operates pursuant to the aptly named “Honestly FREE Guarantee.” According to The Honest Company’s website, the following is what such a guarantee means:

We believe the products people use should be safe and non-toxic (surprisingly, many companies don’t!) — not filled with questionable, risky, untested, or harsh ingredients. We also believe it’s better to be safe than sorry when deciding what goes in our products and we’re vigilant about the latest science regarding chemicals and health to ensure we’re being mindfully cautious.

Based on these beliefs, we created our Honestly FREE Guarantee — a core commitment we make to you and your children. And, it’s another way for us to be Honest — educating, empowering and inspiring people to make better choices for their health & families. Providing clear, credible, transparent information. No smoke and mirrors. No confusion.

Unfortunately, a new class action lawsuit filed in California has accused The Honest Company of being not so honest.  According to a report from the Business Insider, the lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Jonathan D. Rubin, alleges that the company’s hand soap, dish soap, diapers, and multi-surface cleaner are “deceptively and misleadingly labeled.” Rubin alleges that even though the company markets its products as being “natural,” in reality the products contain multiple synthetic preservatives. The complaint contains causes of action for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violations of several California consumer protection laws. The proposed class is seeking damages in excess of $5,000,000.

In response, Jessica Alba provided Business Insider with the following statement:

Seven years ago, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was frustrated by the lack of healthy and safe product options for me and my new family. In fact, prior to launching The Honest Company, I began lobbying Congress to require that ingredients used in everyday products are tested for safety prior to entry into the marketplace.

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 — whether it’s diapers for their children, cleaning products for their families or beauty products for themselves. 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.

The allegations against us are baseless and without merit. 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.

Interestingly, we here at Abnormal Use have made a thorough review of The Honest Company’s website and nowhere did we find any reference to the products being all-natural or made without synthetic preservatives. Rather, The Honest Company claims to be “non-toxic,” a term that it defines much broader than many of its competitors. In fact, as a part of the Honestly Free Guarantee, each product contains a list of the products that are specifically not used in creating the product as well as those that are. It is hard to imagine how such a product could be any more transparent.

We hope this suit turns out well for The Honest Company. We have always liked Jessica Alba and applaud her company’s mission. Honestly.

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