7-Eleven Class Action Says Aloe Burn Relief Gel Contains No Aloe

7-Eleven Inc. has been hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of deceiving consumers by selling a product called “7 Select Aloe After Sun Burn Relief Gel” that contains no aloe.

“The Product’s label declares it to be made of ‘Aloe’ and it depicts a green multi-leafed aloe plant, implying that aloe vera is present in the Product,” plaintiff Sandy Garcia alleges in the 7-Eleven class action lawsuit.

“According to the Product’s ingredient label, it contains ‘Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract.’ The Product itself is a green liquid, further implying that it is an aloe product,” Garcia claims. However, independent laboratory tests have shown the 7-Eleven sunburn gel contains no actual aloe vera, the 7-Eleven class action lawsuit states.

According to the aloe vera class action lawsuit, Garcia’s attorneys had the 7-Eleven burn relief product tested using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (H-NMR), and the test results indicated the product did not contain any aloe vera or aloe barbadensis leaf extract. Acemannan, a chemical component that indicates the presence of aloe, was also not detected in the sample that was tested, the 7-Eleven class action lawsuit alleges.

“As such, Defendants’ descriptions of the Product as being made with ‘Aloe’ or ‘Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract’ are false, deceptive, and misleading,” the 7-Eleven aloe vera gel class action lawsuit says.

Garcia alleges that she purchased the 7-Eleven aloe vera product earlier this year after reading the product label and list of ingredients. According to the 7-Eleven class action lawsuit, the presence of aloe vera in the product was material to her purchase because of its skin-healing and sunburn-relief properties.

“The difference between the Product promised and the Product sold is significant,” Garcia alleges in the 7-Eleven class action lawsuit. “The lack of Aloe Vera in the Product diminishes its value to zero.”

Garcia asserts that she would not have purchased the 7-Eleven aloe vera gel if she had known that the product did not actually contain aloe vera. She claims that 7-Eleven misled consumers about the aloe vera content in order to entice them to purchase the products and increase the company’s profits.

The 7-Eleven aloe vera gel class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Garcia and a proposed Class of consumers who purchased 7-Select Aloe After Sun Burn Relief Gel in California within the last four years. The complaint asserts claims for breach of express warranty, violations of the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, violations of the California False Advertising Act and the Unfair Competition Law.

Garcia seeks actual damages, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and costs, and other relief the court deems just and proper.

Garcia is represented by Gerald B. Malanga of Lattie Malanga Libertino LLP.

The 7-Eleven Aloe After Sun Burn Relief Gel Class Action Lawsuit is Sandy Garcia v. 7-Eleven Inc., et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-05561, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.