Dial Complete Class Action Lawsuits Move Forward

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Numerous class action lawsuits claiming The Dial Corporation is tricking consumers into believing its Dial Complete antibacterial soap provides special health benefits over regular soap have been consolidated in New Hampshire federal court under the title In Re: Dial Complete Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation.

According to the consolidated Dial Complete class action lawsuit, Dial is making unsubstantiated health claims intended to make consumers believe that washing their hands with Dial Complete  — which contains the active ingredient triclosan — is more effective than washing with regular soap and water or with other liquid soaps that don’t contain triclosan.

The Dial Complete antibacterial soap class action lawsuit further alleges that Dial deceptively and unfairly represents that using Dial Complete provides special health benefits, including, but not limited to, being over 1,000 times more effective at killing disease-causing germs than other antibacterial liquid hand soaps, killing 99.9% of bacteria, killing 99.9% of illness-causing bacteria, reducing disease transmissions by 50% compared to washing with plain soap, and killing more germs than any other liquid hand soap.

The class action lawsuit cites an April 2010 FDA “Consumer Update” that states the agency does not have evidence that triclosan-containing antibacterial soaps and body washes provide any extra health benefit over soap and water alone. Yet despite mounting concerns surrounding triclosan, Dial has continued to aggressively advertise Dial Complete as having substantial health benefits and being more effective in its use than ordinary soap and water, the class action lawsuit alleges.

Triclosan was originally developed as a surgical scrub for medical professionals, but in recent years it has been added to many consumer products such as soaps and body washes. Triclosan has been banned or restricted in other countries because it is linked to cancer, and the Environmental Protection Agency has even registered it as a pesticide.

The Dial Complete class action lawsuit is seeking compensatory and other damages for consumers who relied on the unsubstantiated health claims in purchasing the antibacterial soap products.

UPDATE: On March 27, 2017, after years of litigation, plaintiffs have finally secured Class certification in a false advertising lawsuit over the labeling for Dial Complete soap.

UPDATE 2: On Jan. 12, 2019, the Dial Complete Foaming Liquid Hand Soap class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.

UPDATE 3: On May 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice said the $7.4 million Dial Complete Soap class action settlement should be rejected because of hefty attorneys’ fees and little gain for Class Members.

UPDATE 4: On May 29, 2019, the $7.4 million Dial soap settlement was granted final approval despite objections from the government.

UPDATE 5: On Sept. 27, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving checks from the Dial Complete Soap class action settlement worth as much as $8.10. Congratulations to everyone who filed a valid claim and got PAID!