Popular face wash St. Ives Apricot Scrub is facing a lawsuit that claims the product can harm the skin. The center of the lawsuit is a key ingredient that the facial scrub uses - walnut shells - that the plaintiffs claim can cause skin damage.
Crushed Walnut Shells In St. Ives Apricot Scrub
Plaintiffs Kaylee Browning and Sarah Basile sued St. Ives parent company Unilever for including crushed walnut shells in the facial scrub. They claimed the walnut shells made the product unsuitable for use on the face. St. Ives, on the other hand, claims these help keep the skin healthy and beautiful.
"It goes without saying: a scrub should be soft on skin," St. Ives writes on its website. "Which brings us to walnut shells. Crushed walnut shells. They're one of the natural exfoliants we use to keep skin soft and glowing."
The plaintiffs cited a New York Magazine article to put in question the "dermatologist tested" label of the facial scrub, saying that while the product was tested, it was not recommended.
The article interviewed dermatologists who claimed that large, hard and sand-like rocks such as those in the St. Ives facial scrub are the most harmful to facial skin and can lead to breakouts or wrinkles.
"The length of time the person scrubs and the amount of pressure applied while scrubbing are two variables that can lead to irritated skin," the article reads. "There's also the matter of the granules, or the specific grains that make up different scrubs. Large, hard, and sandlike rocks, like the ones in St. Ives's Apricot Scrub, are the most damaging because they are too abrasive for the face's thin skin."
Basil and Browning claimed that St. Ives still does not disclose that it is not recommended by dermatologists. The plaintiffs claimed it was false advertising, saying they purchased the skin product based on marketing but would not have bought it had they known it can cause damage to the skin.
St. Ives Uses Ingredients Dermatologists Consider As Harsh On The Skin
Consumers have already voiced concerns about the safety of the ingredients used in St. Ives's Apricot Scrub in the past. In a 2014 Reddit thread, redditors have pointed out that the facial scrub contains ingredients that the American Academy of Dermatology considered as harsh on the skin.
Unilever declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying that the company, as a general practice, does not comment on pending litigations.The company, however, stood by the quality of its facial scrub.
The lawsuit seeks for $5 million in damages.
