Jessica Alba's Santa Monica-Based Honest Company Sued for Being Dishonest

SANTA MONICA, CA — Jessica Alba's The Honest Company was sued this week by two women who allege the firm misleadingly labeled and marketed certain products as natural, even though they actually contained synthetic ingredients.

Plaintiffs Candace Hiddlestone and Julie Hedges filed the proposed class-action lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The Honest Company, headquartered in Santa Monica, was founded by Alba and Christopher Gavigan. A representative for the firm did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

The company has faced similar allegations in the past over several of its products, but has defended the labeling of them as organic or natural.

The products listed in the most recent lawsuit were marketed as natural, inducing consumers to pay a premium for the products on the false premises they were natural, the suit states. In fact, the products not only contain non- natural ingredients, but in some cases chemicals rated as either highly or moderately hazardous by the Environmental Working Group, according to the lawsuit.

According to plaintiffs' attorney Nicholas Carlin, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of a class of both on-line shoppers and people who visited actual stores.

Various media reports in the past week have indicated that Alba is considering selling The Honest Company to in a deal that could be worth about $1 billion.

— City News Service, photo via Wiki Commons