JM Brands Hit with Class Action Over ‘Natural’ Purezero Shampoo, Conditioner Labels

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A proposed class action alleges the “vast majority” of JM Brands’ purportedly “natural” Purezero shampoo and conditioner products contain “synthetic and abrasive” chemical ingredients not adequately disclosed to buyers.

The 33-page complaint alleges the statements on the labels of Florida-based JM Brands’ “natural” haircare products are false, misleading and deceptive to consumers, who’ve in turn paid a premium price and chosen the defendant’s items over those of competitors based on marketing practices that specifically target health-conscious buyers.

“These representations lead consumers to believe that the Products contain natural ingredients,” the case says. “However, Defendant’s advertising and marketing campaigns are false, deceptive, and misleading because the Products contain multiple synthetic ingredients.” 

Further, the suit says JM Brands’ product labeling practices “perpetuate this deceptive ‘natural’ myth” in that they create the impression among reasonable consumers that Purezero products are natural while failing to adequately disclose that they contain “numerous synthetic ingredients.” Per the lawsuit, JM Brands only discloses the synthetic, unnatural ingredients in Purezero products on the back of their packaging in “small, hard-to-read print,” and even then “fails to inform consumers that many of the ingredients listed are synthetic.” 

The lawsuit stresses that ordinary consumers “are not experts in the chemical make-up or names of synthetic ingredients” listed in fine print on the back of a product label, and reasonably believe a product labeled as “natural” will contain only natural ingredients.

“Plaintiff and the Class Members reasonably relied to their detriment on Defendant’s misleading representations and omissions,” the case claims, alleging JM Brands “knew and intended that consumers would pay a premium for Products labeled ‘natural’ over comparable products not so labeled.”

According to the lawsuit, the defendant’s Purezero haircare products contain synthetic ingredients such as phenoxyethanol, polysorbate-20, cyclopentasiloxane, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, polyquaternium-10, polyquaternium-37, propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, PPG-1 trideceth-6, Peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, dimethicone, dimethiconol, amodimethicone, glycerin, ethylhexylglycerin and artificial fragrance. 

As a result of JM Brands’ marketing and advertising practices, buyers have paid money for products that were not as represented while being deprived of the benefit of the bargain they expected to receive, and would not have bought the Purezero products had they known the truth of their ingredients, the suit claims. 

“Plaintiff and the Class Members paid for Products that were ‘Natural’ but received Products that were not ‘Natural,’” the complaint contends. “The products Plaintiff and the Class Members received were worth less than the products for which they paid.”

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