Andalou Naturals Class Action Says Hair Products Are Mislabeled

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Two plaintiffs say hair care products from Andalou Naturals Inc. are mislabeled as “natural” when in fact they contain synthetic ingredients.

Plaintiffs Cassandra York and Stephanie Teachout say Andalou Naturals has no business naming a line of hair care products as “Naturals” when those products actually contain “numerous synthetic and potentially harmful chemicals that are not ‘natural’ at all.”

The plaintiffs say this labeling “deceptively, falsely, and unfairly” deceives consumers into thinking the products contain only natural ingredients.

The Andalou Naturals products at issue allegedly contain sodium benzoate, citric acid, potassium sorbate and exthylexylglycerin, which the plaintiffs claim are synthetically produced.

They claim that two of those ingredients, sodium benzoate and citric acid, can combine to form benzene, which is a known cause of leukemia and other blood cancers.

Andalou Naturals knows consumers are particularly interested in products that don’t contain potentially artificial ingredients, the plaintiffs say.

The company allegedly exploits that interest by labeling its own products as “Naturals.”

Plaintiffs say that labeling allows the company to charge a premium for its products – at the expense of consumers who are supposedly misled into thinking they’re getting an all-natural product.

The Andalou Naturals class action lawsuit raises claims for violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, and common law provisions of both those states.

York and Teachout also allege these products’ labeling runs afoul of guidance published by the Federal Trade Commission.

According to that guidance, consumers have a right to take companies’ at their word when they label products as being “all natural” or “100% natural.”

York says she bought a bottle of Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Shampoo from a market in Illinois, in reliance on the labeling that identified the product as natural.

Teachout says she bought the same product at a store in Missouri.

Both plaintiffs claim that if they had known the products contained synthetic ingredients, they would not have bought them or would have paid less for them.

The Andalou Naturals class action lawsuit alleges the following specific products are falsely and deceptively mislabeled:

• Andalou Naturals Argan & Sweet Orange Shampoo
• Andalou Naturals Lavender & Biotin Shampoo
• Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Shampoo
• Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cells Shampoo
• Andalou Naturals Argan & Sweet Orange Conditioner
• Andalou Naturals Lavender & Biotin Conditioner
• Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Conditioner
• Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cells Conditioner

The two plaintiffs are seeking to represent a nationwide Class consisting of all persons in the U.S. who purchased any of the Andalou Naturals Shampoo and Conditioner products at issue from Aug. 10, 2011 through the present.

They are also proposing two separate subclasses to represent Class Members from each of their home states of Illinois and Missouri.

They seek an award of damages or alternatively restitution of “ill-gotten gains,” plus court costs, attorneys’ fees, and pre- and post-judgment interest.

York and Teachout are represented by attorneys Matthew H. Armstrong of Armstrong Law Firm LLC and by Stuart L. Cochran of Law Offices of Stuart L. Cochran PLLC.

The Andalou Naturals False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is York, et al. v. Andalou Naturals Inc., Case No. 3:16-cv-894, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.