Aquaphor class action overview:
- Who: A California mother, plaintiff Esther Hicks, is suing Beiersdorf Inc.
- Why: The plaintiff claims the company’s Aquaphor healing ointment contains an allergen despite being marketed as hypoallergenic.
- Where: The Aquaphor class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges that Beiersdorf Inc.’s Aquaphor healing ointment for babies and children contains a common allergen despite being marketed as hypoallergenic.
Plaintiff Esther Hicks filed the Aquaphor hypoallergenic class action complaint against Beiersdorf Inc. on Sept. 15 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
Hicks claims in her lawsuit that Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment and Aquaphor Children’s Healing Ointment both contain lanolin alcohol, a common allergen among infants and children that studies have recommended against putting on damaged skin.
The plaintiff notes that lanolin alcohol was named contact allergen of the year in 2023 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.
While lanolin is useful for preventative skin care because healthy skin acts as a barrier to the allergen lanolin alcohol, damaged skin allows it to penetrate deeply enough to trigger an immune system response, Hicks said.
Aquaphor labels products as hypoallergenic to take advantage of market, lawsuit says
According to the class action lawsuit, lanolin is not recommended for use on infants under age 2 because of the risk of an allergic reaction, including allergic contact dermatitis.
Hicks alleges that she purchased the products based on the hypoallergenic label to treat a persistent rash on her infant daughter for several months but only saw an improvement after she stopped.
She claims that Beiersdorf labels the products as hypoallergenic to take advantage of the growing market for products for sensitive skin and charges a premium compared to other similar products. For example, the complaint said, the 14-ounce package of Baby Healing Ointment is available for $18.37 at Walmart, while a 13-ounce container of Vaseline Baby Healing Petroleum Jelly retails for $5.48.
Consumers do not have the time or knowledge to scrutinize a product’s label for each ingredient at the point of sale to determine if there are allergens when the label claims it is “hypoallergenic,” Hicks argued, saying that a reasonable consumer also would not know that lanolin alcohol is a common allergen.
According to the complaint, it is generally recognized that to be hypoallergenic, lanolin must contain less than 3% free lanolin alcohol, and Hicks alleged that the ointments contain more than that.
Hicks aims to represent a class of all people who bought the products in California, as well as a multistate breach of warranty class for claims in states with warranty laws similar to California’s.
A similar class action lawsuit recently alleged “hypoallergenic” Almay products, including eyeliners, mascaras, concealers and makeup removers, contain known allergens like corn starch, salicylic acid and zinc stearate.
What do you think of the allegations made in this Aquaphor class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Jennifer L. MacPherson, Craig W. Straub and Zachary M. Crosner of Crosner Legal PC.
The Aquaphor class action lawsuit is Esther Hicks v. Beiersdorf Inc., Case No. 1:25-cv-00822, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
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