Procter & Gamble's Old Spice deodorant has caused agonizing armpit burns and rashes on hundreds, if not thousands, of unsuspecting customers, a new class-action lawsuit claims.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit, which seeks the company about $5 million in damages, in U.S. District Court in Columbus. Among the 13 Old Spice products named in the lawsuit are Old Spice Arctic Force High Endurance and Lionpride deodorants.
The lawsuit states that Old Spice has violated many regulations, including Ohio's Product Liability Act, breach of implied warranty of merchantability and unjust enrichment and Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act.
Rodney Colley is the lead plaintiff in the case against Procter & Gamble (P&G). The 23-year-old college student from Alexandria, Va. woke up with a rash forming in his armpit.
"I got out of the shower on Monday morning and it felt like my armpit was on fire," said Rodney.
"So I looked in the mirror and sure enough the skin around it started scabbing," he added.
He recently bought an Old Spice deodorant that has caused chemical burns to his skin. Rodney is not the first person to experience the ordeal.
Michael Smith posted a video on YouTube showing his burns after using the same product Rodney used, and comments below indicated that they are not the only ones who experienced these harsh side effects.
Included in the lawsuit are other online posts by several people complaining of chemical burns caused by the products manufactured by P&G.
"I recently bought Old Spice Champion for the first time to try. After a week my armpits began burning. Had major burning all around the armpits on both sides. Never had problem with any other deodorant ever. Very painful. Got pictures of burns if Old Spice needs proof? Something needs done! [sic]" wrote [PDF] Ernie of Lakefield, Ohio on June 16, 2015.
A P&G spokesperson, Damon Jones, said that the company's products are safe to use.
"We go to great lengths to ensure our products are safe to use, and tens of millions of men use this product with confidence and without incident every year," said Jones.
The problem experienced by customers are not chemical burns but skin reactions to some ingredients in the product. Some men may experience irritation because of sensitivity to alcohol, which is a common ingredient across "virtually [all] deodorant products." He added that the online posts are not exclusive to Old Spice.
