Lawsuit: Weleda's 'Natural' Products Contain Synthetic Ingredients

A proposed class action lawsuit was filed this month against Weleda, Inc., claiming it deceives health-conscious consumers by falsely labeling its personal care products as “Natural” or “Certified Natural” when they actually contain synthetic ingredients.

According to the suit, Weleda centers its marketing and advertising around these “natural” claims – leading the most reasonable consumers to believe the products do not contain synthetic substances.

The case argues, however, that many of Weleda’s “natural” facial care, body care, and baby care products do, in fact, contain a slew of synthetic ingredients.

Natural vs. Synthetic – What’s the Big Deal?

According to the complaint, Congress has defined "synthetic" to mean “a substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plants, animals, or mineral sources.”

“Natural” substances, on the other hand, are not chemically altered from their original state, the complaint claims. Consumers are willing to spend more on products made with natural ingredients because they are believed to be healthier and safer to use than synthetic products. The suit argues that Weleda has “capitalized” on this desire by falsely claiming on labels that its products are “natural” to entice consumers into not only buying the products, but paying a premium price for them.

Which Ingredients Are in Question?

The complaint claims at least 19 synthetic substances are found in Weleda’s products. It notes the following information about some of the ingredients:

• Citric acid – Despite its name, citric acid is not made from citrus fruits, but “industrially manufactured by fermenting certain genetically mutant strains of the black mold fungus.”
• Xanthan gum – “A 2012 article in the Journal of Pediatrics noted that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued warnings that products containing xanthan gum have been linked to illness and death in infants.”
• Tocopherol (Acetate) – an ingredient used in pesticides
• Sodium chloride – a “hazardous” chemical substance

Among these, the complaint also claims that lactic acid, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, citronellol, calcium chloride, benzyl benzoate, and zinc oxide are found in Weleda’s products.

Which Products Are Affected?

The following products are named in the lawsuit:

• Weleda Men Active Shower Gel
• Weleda Calendula Toothpaste
• Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash
• Weleda Rose Soap Case
• Weleda Calendula Soap
• Weleda Arnica Sports Shower Gel
• Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalizing Body Oil
• Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil
• Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalizing Body Lotion
• Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Lotion
• Weleda Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Body Lotion
• Weleda Wild Rose Pampering Body Lotion
• Weleda Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion
• Weleda Skin Food – Small
• Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalizing Hand Cream
• Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream
• Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream
• Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash
• Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash
• Weleda Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash
• Weleda Evening Primrose Revitalizing Body Wash
• Weleda Children’s Tooth Gel
• Weleda Salt Toothpaste
• Weleda Plant Gel Toothpaste
• Weleda Ratanhia Toothpaste
• Weleda White Mallow Diaper Rash Cream
• Weleda Calendula Diaper Rash Cream
• Weleda Calendula Body Cream
• Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash
• Weleda Calendula Cream Bath
• Weleda Calendula Body Cream
• Weleda Calendula Body Lotion
• Weleda Calendula Face Cream
• Weleda Calendula Body Oil
• Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil
• Weleda Oat Replenishing Shampoo
• Weleda Wheat Balancing Shampoo
• Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo
• Weleda Oat Replenishing Conditioner
• Weleda Oat Replenishing Treatment
• Weleda Rosemary Conditioning Hair Oil

The suit is seeking monetary relief for proposed class members and injunctive relief against Weleda to prohibit it from continuing its “deceptive” labeling practices.