A class action lawsuit out of California accuses Beaumont Products Inc. d/b/a Clearly Natural Essentials of deceptively labeling its soap, hand soap and body lotion products as “Clearly Natural” and “Pure and Natural” in an attempt to get health conscious consumers to pay more money for the products.
The false advertising class action lawsuit, filed by Orange County resident Mona Paul, lists 20 Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural products that allegedly contain synthetic ingredients despite being labeled pure and natural.
The products in question include:
- Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Tea Tree Glycerine Soap,
- Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Aloe Vera Glycerine Soap,
- Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Unscented Glycerine Hand
Soap, - Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Lemon Glycerine Hand Soap,
- Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Glycerine Body Lotion,
- Plus 15 other products from the Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural product line.
Paul says she purchased the products from Sprouts Farmer’s Market in California because she saw the labeling, advertising, the Defendant’s website, and read the packaging that represented that the products are “Clearly Natural” and “Pure and Natural.”
“Had she known the truth—that the representations she relied upon in making her purchase were false, misleading, and deceptive—she would not have purchased the Products at a premium price,” the Clearly Natural Essential Pure and Natural class action lawsuit states.
Paul alleges that she and other consumers “paid a premium for the products over comparable products that did not purport to be ‘Clearly Natural’ and ‘Pure and Natural,’” and therefore they suffered injury in the amount of the premium paid.
She is seeking an award of monetary damages, including treble damages; punitive damages and injunctive relief directing Beaumont Products to comply with consumer protection statutes nationwide, including California consumer protection laws.
The case is Moana Paul v. Beaumont Products Inc., Case No. 17-cv-01225, U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
What’s Inside Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural Soap?
The class action lawsuit lists eight ingredients found in some or all of the Clearly Natural Essentials Pure and Natural products that it claims are synthetic and artificial, including:
- Sodium Citrate
- Tocopherol (Acetate)
- Decyl Glucoside
- Cetearyl Alcohol/Cetyl Alcohol/Stearyl Alcohol
- Phenoxyethanol
- Sodium Chloride
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Glycerin
The class action lawsuit breaks down each ingredient and why it is believed to be synthetic and artificial. For example:
- Sodium citrate is a synthesized sodium salt of citric acid and is often used as a blood thinner or anticoagulant. It is classified as a synthetic chemical under U.S. Federal Regulations.
- Tocopherol (Acetate) is a synthetic, inert ingredient used pre and postharvest as an ingredient in pesticide formulations applied to growing crops or to raw agricultural commodities after harvest.
- Glycerin is a factory-produced texturizer that is created by complex processing. It is recognized by federal regulations as synthetic.
California False Advertising Laws
California has some of the strictest consumer protection laws in the United States.
Given the increase in the number of consumers wanting products without synthetic ingredients, some companies have taken advantage of wording on their product labels that might increase sales without delivering on the promises of the product itself.
If you discover that the marketing or the labeling on a product you use is not accurate, you may have grounds for a legal claim. Various laws at both the state and federal level provide protections for consumers as individuals or together in class action lawsuits to hold companies accountable for misleading or false advertising practices.
Fill out the form on the page for a FREE case evaluation to see if you have grounds to file a false advertising class action lawsuit.
