WAL-MART, CVS &TARGET SKINCARE PRODUCTS WITHOUT ALOE VERA

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.