Have you swiped on this lip balm lately?
A class-action lawsuit versus EOS lip balm has claimed that the popular product causes unwanted reactions such as blisters and rashes around the mouth. A lawyer warned the number of affected users could reach tens of thousands and likely exceed hundreds of thousands.
A heavily advertised drugstore cosmetic that’s been on the market since 2009, EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balm is a smooth, egg-shaped product costing $2.99 each and is deemed a cult favorite in the beauty community. It is endorsed by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears.
The lawsuit, however, alleges that EOS is “anything but smooth,” with women complaining of blisters, rashes and allergic reactions around their mouths.
The lawsuit stated that users experienced “devastating” adverse reactions to the lip balm, such as dryness, mild or severe rashes, blistering, bleeding, cracking and pigmentation loss that lasted a couple of days to a few months. Some consumers, too, were said to suffer “long-lasting and perhaps permanent symptoms.”
The complainants claim to have sent their grievances to EOS about the adverse effects, with the lawsuit criticizing the company for failing to provide warnings, recall the product or commission a safety study on its proprietary formula.
Among the complainants in the class-action suit – filed by criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos – is Rachel Cronin, who said the lip balm gave her serious rashes, bleeding, blistering and cracking on the mouth. Cronin is demanding damages and corrective advertising.
“Within hours [after using], her lips became substantially dry and coarse, … feeling like ‘sandpaper,’ causing her to apply more of the balm on her lip to achieve the results of becoming ‘sensationally smooth,’” the court document explained.
The EOS packaging, according to the complaint, claims to be 95 percent organic and able to keep lips “moist, soft, and sensationally smooth.”
Monica Robo, a beauty blogger who also weighed in on the matter, wrote on her blog that she also experienced very chapped lips from using an EOS lip balm. She added that it took one to two months to totally heal.
On its Facebook page, EOS said the lawsuit lacks merit, and that their products are created with the highest-quality ingredients and exceed industry-set quality and safety standards.
“An independent laboratory puts each of our products through a battery of rigorous testing to ensure this is the case,” the company said, emphasizing customers’ health and well-being as top priority.
Photo: Wicker Paradise | Flickr
