Jessica Alba’s Honest Company Faces Criticism over Sunscreen

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company is facing criticism from consumers who say the company’s sunscreen failed to protect them against burns. The Honest Company touts “safe and eco-friendly household and baby care products” and markets an SPF 30 sunscreen with “broad spectrum, mineral-based protection.” Some consumers, however, say the product did not work effectively and have taken to social media platforms to express their frustration. According to CNBC, one twitter user posted a photo of his reddened scalp and tweeted “this is my very real result from Honest 30 SPF sunscreen. Only spent 1 hour outside. Burnt.”

NBC Chicago conducted an investigation and shared the story of Gretta Stabler, who says her daughter got sunburned after applying the product four times over a three hour period. “She got really burned on her arms, shoulders, legs face, pretty much everywhere. I was angry,” Stabler said.

The Honest Company insists that the sunscreen meets U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards when used as directed. The product is to be applied 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. The company also says it complied with FDA protocol by having the sunscreen tested by an independent third party.

NBC Chicago asked the FDA whether or not the sunscreen met safety standards. The agency replied that it only requires manufacturers to test their own products and does not verify the testing or evaluate the results. Sunscreens are required to contain up to 25 percent of zinc oxide by FDA standards. NBC Chicago reports that at some point, the percentage of zinc oxide was lowered from 20 percent to 9.3 percent in the Honest sunscreen. To compare, the investigation looked at other sunscreens and they mostly contained anywhere from 18 to 25 percent. The Honest Company said it added other ingredients when to keep the sunscreen effective when the amount of zinc oxide was reduced. NBC Chicago reports that most other sunscreens looked at in the investigation had zinc oxide as its only active ingredient.

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