Jessica Alba is fielding a series of lawsuits claiming that her Honest Company isn’t so, well, honest. A lawsuit filed last week by Margo Smith accuses the $1 billion company of false advertising. Several items, including dish soap and laundry detergent, are marketed as being free of sodium lauryl sulfate. Smith claims this is a lie.
WWD reports that the eco-friendly product line has been under intense scrutiny after a Wall Street Journal report exposed the detergent for containing SLS, a chemical the company swore never to use. Honest responded in a statement saying, “The Journal confirms what we have said all along, that we use Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) in our laundry detergent. And, to reiterate our position, just because you can isolate the C-12 carbon chain in a test for SCS does not mean we use SLS in our product.”
Margo Smith’s lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal complaints filed against the brand. They’ve previously been sued for misleading customers about SLS-free products and for selling sunscreen that’s allegedly ineffective.
Honest has been a huge success for Alba, but only time will tell if the brand can withstand the negative press and legal troubles.
