Dollar Tree Class Action Says Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel Contains No Aloe

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

A nationwide class action lawsuit brought by an Illinois consumer alleges Dollar Tree’s Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel is deceptively labeled as being made with 100% pure aloe when it actually contains no Aloe Vera at all.

Plaintiff Jennifer Parrot is suing the nationwide retail chain Dollar Tree Inc. for allegedly intentionally labeling its Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel as containing “Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice” when according to independent lab test, the product contains no Aloe Vera at all.

Aloe Vera gel is made from an extract of the leaf of the Aloe Vera plant. It is used in many products marketed as moisturizers for dry and irritated skin.

It is also a popular folk remedy, believed by some to treat everything from hypertension to the common cold when ingested.

The global market for Aloe Vera products is estimated to have reached $13 billion, according to information presented at a recent workshop held by the International Aloe Science Council (IASC).

Parrot, in or about 2015 or 2016, says she purchased Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel for personal use at one of the defendant’s locations, believing it contained “100% Pure Aloe” as indicated clearly on the front label of the bottle.

In addition, Parrot notes that “Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice” is listed on the back of the bottle as the third ingredient in Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel.

The 26-page complaint states that Parrot’s counsel had the product tested, and the results showed that it does not contain any Acemannan, a key Aloe Vera chemical component.

According to the International Aloe Science Council (IASC), “products that do not contain Acemannan are not considered to be true aloe vera.”

“Based on these test results, Defendant’s descriptions of the Product as containing ‘Aloe’ or ‘Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract’ are false and misleading,” the lawsuit contends.

In fact, Parrot’s suit claims that difference between the product promised and the actual nature of products sold is significant.

“The lack of Aloe Vera and/or Acemannan in the Product diminishes its value to zero. Consumers, including Plaintiff and Class Members, would not have purchased the Product had they known they contain no detectable amount of Aloe Vera,” the lawsuit states.

Parrot is bringing forth the action, seeking to represent a national Class, a consumer fraud multi-state Class, and an Illinois subclass who within four years of the filing of this complaint purchased Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel.

The proposed class action lawsuit is asking for actual and statutory damages, as well as restitution to Parrot and to potential Class Members.

A request to enjoin the defendants from engaging in unlawful conduct in regards to its labeling of Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel has also been made.

This false and deceptive labeling violates the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetics Act along with parallel state statutes, and almost every state warranty, consumer protection, and product labeling law in the United States, the lawsuit asserts.

Parrot is represented by Brian J. Wanca and Jeffrey A. Berman of Anderson + Wanca; Nick Suciu III of Barbat Mansour & Suciu PLLC; Jonathan N. Shub of Kohn Swift & Graf PC; Jason Thompson of Sommers Schwartz PC; Jason T. Brown and Patrick S. Almondrode of The JTB Law Group LLC; Gregory F. Coleman of Greg Coleman Law PC; Michael F. Ram and Susan S. Brown of Ram Olson Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP; Rachel Soffin and Jonathan B. Cohen of Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group; Donald J. Enright and Lori G. Feldman of Levi & Korsinsky LLP; and Samuel J. Strauss of Turke & Strauss LLP.

The Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel Class Action Lawsuit is Parrot v. Family Dollar Inc. and Dollar Tree Inc., Case No. 1:17-cv-00222, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.