FTC Targets False Advertising of “All Natural” Personal Care Products

FTC takes action to stop the false advertising of ‘all natural’ products containing synthetics.

According to officials at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), several American companies have misrepresented their personal care products as being ‘all natural’ despite the fact these products list synthetic ingredients on their labels.

The five companies that the FTC has identified as misrepresenting their products as all natural are:

• Beyond Costal – This Utah-based company is alleged to have advertised its sunscreens as “100% natural” even though they contain a synthetic called Dimethicone.
• EDEN BodyWorks, owned by ABS Consumer Products, LLC – This Tennessee-based company is alleged to have promoted all natural hair care products despite the fact that its products include a range of synthetics, such as Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol.
• Rocky Mountain Sunscreen, owned by Erickson Marketing Group – This Colorado-based company advertised its skin care products as all natural even though their ingredients include synthetics like Polyethylene and Dimethicone.
• ShiKai, owned by Trans-India Products, Inc. – This California-based company reportedly marketed its lotions and moisturizing gels as all natural despite the fact that they contain Phenoxyethanol and other synthetic ingredients.
• California Naturel, Inc. –This California, company sells supposedly “all natural sunscreen” though the product contains Dimethicone.

FTC Consent Orders

To resolve the proceedings opened up by the FTC as a result of these misleading claims, each of the companies listed above except for California Naturel, Inc. has agreed to the FTC’s proposed consent orders, which will prohibit each company from doing the following when promoting, advertising or selling its products:

• Misrepresenting their products as all natural or 100% natural
• Failing to clearly report the natural and/or synthetic ingredients a product contains
• Overstating or misrepresenting the health and/or environmental benefits a product may have

Commenting on these cases and the greater issue of misleading consumers via false advertisements, Jessica Rich, the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, has explained that:

‘All natural’ or ‘100 percent natural’ means just that — no artificial ingredients or chemicals… Companies should take a lesson from these cases.

Contact a Los Angeles Consumer Attorney at Broslavsky & Weinman, LLP

If you have been misled by a company’s false advertising or deceptive claims about its products, contact a Los Angeles consumer attorney at Broslavsky & Weinman, LLP to find out more about your legal options.

You can call us at (310) 575-2550 or email us via the contact form on this page to schedule a free initial consultation.