Consumers: We Were Burned by Jessica Alba's Sunscreen

'Honest Company' gets some searing complaints
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 3, 2015 3:03 AM CDT
Consumers: We Were Burned By Jessica Alba's Sunscreen
Actress Jessica Alba poses at the 30th Anniversary Impact Awards Dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.    (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

The Honest Company founded by Jessica Alba has become a $1 billion business selling all-natural products, but some customers say the firm is being less than honest about its sunscreen's ability to protect people from the sun. Many customers have taken to social media to complain that the "ultra-pure" product doesn't work, and to share photos of their bright red skin, reports USA Today. One customer tells NBC Chicago that she used plenty of the stuff on her 6-year-old daughter, but she "got really burned on her arms, shoulders, legs, face, pretty much everywhere. I was angry."

The amount of zinc oxide used in the sunscreen was cut from 20% to 9.3% at some point, according to NBC Chicago, which looked at similar products and found that they contained at least 18% zinc oxide. In a statement, the company stood by the product saying it is "effective and safe," was tested by an independent third party, and was only complained about by a small fraction of customers, reports People, which notes that the Honest Company's website says it is now sold out of sunscreen lotion and spray. (A review of more than 1,700 sun protection products found that 80% either don't work or contain harmful ingredients.)

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