Class Action Cries Foul on Walgreen’s Suggestion to Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Treat Minor Cuts, Abrasions

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A proposed class action contends that Walgreen’s statement that its 3% hydrogen peroxide can be used “[f]or treatment of minor cuts & abrasions” is false and misleading in that there exists “no credible scientific and medical evidence” that supports the product’s use as this kind of treatment.

The 17-page case says that although hydrogen peroxide has antiseptic properties, the Mayo Clinic and various medical studies advise that it “does not help treat minor cuts and abrasions and causes more harm than good.” As the suit tells it, the fizzing reaction of hydrogen peroxide applied to a minor wound or abrasion kills only “the body’s fibroblasts, the skin cells responsible for healing cuts.” 

The lawsuit says that hydrogen peroxide in fact does not “treat” minor cuts or abrasions and has been found by numerous studies to be ineffective at “reducing bacterial counts and rates of wound infection.” Further, although hydrogen peroxide may kill some potentially harmful bacteria, the suit states, it can also destroy a greater amount of positive bacteria and healthy cells that promote healing. 

According to the complaint, other studies have confirmed that hydrogen peroxide can increase the risk of infection, cause corrosive tissue damage and irreversibly worsen scarring, among other potential issues. 

The lawsuit contests that if a cut is serious, “antiseptics like hydrogen peroxide should not be applied.” If a cut is minor enough to be treated at home, the filing says, “hydrogen peroxide will be unnecessary, with possibility of harm, because the body’s normal functioning will repair the cut.” 

“Hydrogen peroxide’s only relevant function is to remove debris and microorganisms from the affected area that might slow the healing process, so it allows the body’s healing process to follow its usual course of repair at a normal rate,” the lawsuit reads. 

The suit also challenges the label statement that the hydrogen peroxide is “Walgreens Pharmacist Recommended,” calling the claim “contrary to medical and scientific evidence.” 

Per the case, the value of Walgreen’s 3% hydrogen peroxide was “materially less than its value” as represented by the retailer. 

The lawsuit looks to represent consumers in Illinois, Montana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Wyoming, Idaho, Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi and Utah who bought Walgreen’s 3% hydrogen peroxide within the applicable statute of limitations period. 

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