In the latest move to
protect consumers’ interest, nine first class suits have been filed against
Wal-Mart, Target and CVS for selling store brand personal care products
claiming that these contained aloe vera whereas investigations carried out by
Bloombert News reveal that these products were indeed formulated without aloe
vera.
In April this year,
Federal Trade Commission had notified that four companies that market skin care
products, shampoos, and sunscreens online had agreed to settle Federal Trade
Commission charges that they falsely claimed that their products are “all
natural” or “100% natural,” despite the fact that they contain synthetic
ingredients.
Under the settlements,
each of the four companies was barred from making similar misrepresentations in
the future and must have competent and reliable evidence to substantiate any
ingredient-related, environmental, or health claims it makes.
FTC named following
companies :
Trans-India
Products, Inc., doing business as ShiKai, based in Santa Rosa,
California, markets “All Natural Hand and Body Lotion” and “All Natural
Moisturizing Gel” both directly and through third-party websites including walgreens.com
and vitacoast.com.
Erickson
Marketing Group, doing business as Rocky Mountain Sunscreen, based
in Aravada, Colorado, uses its website to promote “all natural” products such
as the “Natural Face Stick,” which contains synthetic ingredients.
ABS Consumer
Products, LLC, doing business as EDEN BodyWorks, based in Memphis,
Tennessee, markets haircare products on its own websites and at Walmart.com. It
makes “all natural” claims for products including “Coconut Shea All Natural
Styling Elixer” and “Jojoba Monoi All Natural Shampoo.” In reality, the
products contain a range of synthetic ingredients.
Beyond Coastal,
based in Salt Lake City, Utah, uses its website to sell its “Natural Sunscreen
SPF 30,” describing it as “100% natural.” However, it also contains Dimethicone.
California
Naturel, Inc., located in Sausalito, California, sells
supposedly “all natural sunscreen” on its website, though the product contains
Dimethicone. It had made deceptive “all
natural” claims in violation of Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act.
The proposed consent
orders bar the four settling respondents from misrepresenting the following
when advertising, promoting, or selling a product: 1) whether the product is
all natural or 100 percent natural; 2) the extent to which the product contains
any natural or synthetic components; 3) the ingredients or composition of a
product; and 4) the environmental or health benefits of a product.
Herbally Radiant has
been advising genuine manufacturers to print right ingredients on the labels as
is done by the drug companies under FDA regulations. Most of the online
companies are operating with deceptive business practices. All the skin care
products of Herbally Radiant carry detailed ingredients on the labels to enable
consumers to make informed choice.