SC Johnson has been hit with a class action lawsuit claiming that Method cleaning products contain harmful and toxic ingredients.
Method cleaning products are reportedly marketed as โnon-toxic,โ allowing SC Johnson to charge a premium price for these cleaners. However, these representations are false, according to allegations from California resident Felicia Toth.
Toth says she purchased several Method cleaning products which stated that they were โnon-toxic.โ The plaintiff allegedly relied on these representations when choosing a cleaning product, but was shocked to find out that the products actually contained several toxic ingredients.
The lawsuit explains that an increasing number of consumers specifically look for non-toxic products to use in their daily lives. This includes cleaning products, as consumers want more natural, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional household cleaners.
As a result of this demand, a non-toxic household products market has developed. Products sold in this category are often sold with representations that they are โnon-toxicโ and โplant based.โ
The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has established new guidelines to help standardize these representations and to โhelp marketers avoid making environmental marketing claims that are unfair or deceptive.โ
Under FTC regulations, โit is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package or service is non-toxicโ and โa non-toxic claim likely conveys that a product, package, or service is non-toxic for humans and for the environment generally.โ
The FTC says that, when making โnon-toxicโ claims, marketers must have reliable scientific evidence or โshould clearly and prominently qualify their claims to avoid deception.โ
Unfortunately, SC Johnson allegedly fails to comply with these requirements when marketing their Method household cleaner.
Contrary to their claims, the products reportedly contain a variety of cleaning agents which disqualify the cleaners from making a โnon-toxicโ claim, including: dipropylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, linalool, methylisothiazolinone, limonene and octylisothiazolinone.
Dipropylene glycol is a synthetic ingredient which is allegedly used as a fragrance in Method household cleaner, Squirt and Mop Floor Cleaner, and Granite Cleaner. This ingredient has reportedly been show to cause temporary eye irritation when exposed to the eyes.
Phenoxyethanol is another synthetic ingredient found in various Method cleaning products including Squirt and Mop Floor Cleaner and Steel for Real cleaner. This ingredient can reportedly cause irritation to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. When swallowed, phenoxyethanol has reportedly been show to have โdeleteriousโ effects on the nervous system which could lead to โimpaired functions.โ
Linalool, found in the Method household cleaner and Squirt and Mop floor cleaner, can reportedly cause serious eye damage in addition to irritating the skin and eyes. Toth notes that this ingredient can also have negative environmental effects by harming aquatic life.
Method cleaning products, including Squirt and Mop floor cleaner, Steel for Real cleaner and Daily Granite cleaner, allegedly contain methylisothiazolinone. In 2013, this ingredient was reportedly named the Allergen of the Year and โhas exhibited skin sensitization effects and may also cause systemic acute toxicity and local effects such as eczema and contact allergy reactions.โ
Limonene, allegedly found in the Method household cleaner, Steel for Real cleaner, and Daily Granite cleaner, is reportedly used to substitute significantly toxic ingredients such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons and other solvents.
However, this ingredient reportedly also has negative effects including skin irritation characterized by burning, itching, aching, and a long lasting rash.
The last ingredient called out by the class action lawsuit, octylisothiazolinone, is found as a preservative in the Method Daily Granite cleaner. Unfortunately, this ingredient can allegedly cause toxic effects to marine and sediment dwelling life.
Toth argues that the inclusion of these ingredients disqualifies Method cleaning products from the โnon-toxicโ label.
Unfortunately, the plaintiff says that most consumers would be unable to identify these ingredients as potential toxins, meaning that they could be misled by the product packaging which touts the cleaners as โnon-toxic.โ
โThe Productโs โnon-toxicโ claim signifies to reasonable consumers that the Products will not be harmful to people (including small children), common pets or the environment,โ the Method cleaning products class action lawsuit argues.
โA reasonable consumerโs understanding of โwill not harmโ is not limited to toxins that cause death but โalso various types of temporary physical illness, such as vomiting, rash and gastrointestinal upset.โโ
As a result of these claims, Toth and other consumers have allegedly been injured financially as they would not have purchased the products or would have paid significantly less had they been aware of the toxic contents of the products.
Have you purchased Method cleaning products? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Toth and the proposed Class are represented by Michael R. Reese and George V. Granade of Reese LLP and Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC.
The Method Cleaning Products Class Action Lawsuit is Felicia Toth v. SC Johnson & Son Inc., et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-03553, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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1,167 thoughts onMethod Class Action Says Cleaning Products Are Toxic
Please add me
Please add me. I used these products believing that I was keeping my family free from toxins.
I bought a bunch of method products from Grove online. After a few uses I noticed my youngest had a rash that looked like excema. I looked up everything I had recently bought and saw that method had a fb group for people who had been negatively affected. I stopped using the products and the rash went away.
Iโve purchased multiple products thinking they were non- toxicโฆ I could tell immediately by the smell that this could not be true. Not sure why so many companies are are able to get by with such extreme false advertising.
Please add me to the suit.
I use method products on a regular basis to clean surfaces like our countertops and kitchen table. I was misled believing these products are non-toxic and safe for our family, children, and pets to be around. Please add me.
Wow. Please add me. Thatโs why I buy this brand of cleaner.
Iโm shocked and very disappointed. I buy Method because they arenโt tested on animals and I thought non-toxic meant they would also be safe to use around me and my animals. If this turns out to be false, as in they lied about being non-toxic, I will be devastated. All these years thinking Iโm doing something good for the environment and my family and in reality I could have been using a standard cleaner and achieved the same thing.
Please add me too. I use these products and I have 2 toddlers in my home.
add me
I use these products and my 12 year old son uses them as well to help us clean at the end of the day! Please add me.