WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — In a recent deal with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), four companies that market skin care products, shampoos and sunscreens have agreed to stop making alleged false claims about the “all natural” or “100 percent natural” aspect of their products.
“‘All natural’ or ‘100 percent natural’ means just that -- no artificial ingredients or chemicals,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said. “Companies should take a lesson from these cases.”
According to the FTC, the companies that have made allegedly false all-natural claims are Trans-India Products Inc. doing business as ShiKai, Erickson Marketing Group doing business as Rocky Mountain Suncreen, ABS Consumer Products LLC doing business as EDEN BodyWorks and Beyond Coastal.
Under the terms of the proposed consent order, the companies are barred from misrepresenting whether their products are all natural or 100 percent natural, the extent to which their products contain natural or synthetic elements, the ingredients of their products, and the environmental benefits of their products.
The FTC has issued a complaint against a fifth company, California Naturel Inc., seeking similar relief.