Zarbee’s class action claims children’s melatonin contains higher dosage than label states

Zarbee’s children’s melatonin class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Kemberly Phillips-Jones filed a class action lawsuit against Zarbee’s Inc.
• Why: Zarbee’s children’s melatonin allegedly contains a higher dosage than stated on the product label.
• Where: The Zarbee’s class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.

Zarbee’s children’s melatonin products are inaccurately labeled and may contain significantly more melatonin than indicated on the product label, according to a class action lawsuit filed Oct. 5 in Illinois.

Plaintiff Kemberly Phillips-Jones says she purchased Zarbee’s children’s melatonin to help her children’s sleep cycle and because she trusted the accuracy of Zarbee’s dosing and labeling.

However, laboratory testing of several bottles, including one Phillips-Jones purchased, indicated that the bottles contained significantly more melatonin than indicated on the label. The bottle purchased by Phillips-Jones reportedly contained 222% of the listed amount, according to the Zarbee’s class action.

Zarbee’s class action says melatonin alters brain chemistry; overdosing can cause adverse side effects

Melatonin is a neurohormone that regulates the brain’s circadian rhythm and sleep cycle, the Zarbee’s class action lawsuit explains. Millions of consumers reportedly use melatonin supplements to treat sleep problems and anxiety.

“Because melatonin alters brain chemistry, it is important that these supplements are accurately dosed and labelled,” the Zarbee’s class action lawsuit says. “This is especially important when melatonin supplements are given to children.”

Overdosing melatonin can lead to uncomfortable side effects such as headaches, nausea, dizziness or excessive sleepiness, according to the Zarbee’s class action lawsuit.

Studies show Zarbee’s children’s melatonin products are consistently overdosed, plaintiff says

Phillips-Jones points to a 2017 study of Canadian melatonin brands that found high variability in the concentration of melatonin content in melatonin supplements. In most of the tested brands, the true amount of melatonin varied more than 10% than the amount listed on the label, the Zarbee’s class action lawsuit says.

U.S. scientists warned that the same trend may be present in melatonin supplements sold in the United States.

Zarbee’s makes and sells several types of melatonin supplements for children in the United States, the Zarbee’s children’s melatonin lawsuit says. Each product label indicates a specific amount of melatonin per serving. 

However, testing of Zarbee’s children’s melatonin products allegedly shows that the amount actually contained in the product varies widely and that the products are consistently overdosed.

Phillips-Jones claims she was misled and harmed by the misleading Zarbee’s children’s melatonin product labeling and that she overpaid for the allegedly mislabeled product. She filed the Zarbee’s class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and others in the United States who purchased Zarbee’s children’s melatonin products within the applicable statute of limitations.

Zarbee’s also faces another children’s melatonin class action lawsuit in California federal court.

What do you think of the allegations that Zarbee’s children’s melatonin contains a higher dose of melatonin than indicated on the label? Join the discussion in the comments!

Phillips-Jones is represented by Jonas Jacobson and Simon Franzini of Dovel & Luner LLP.

The Zarbee’s children’s melatonin class action lawsuit is Kemberly Phillips-Jones v. Zarbee’s Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-05470, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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