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Benzene in Sunscreen Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: A pair of consumers lodged a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
- Why: Plaintiffs claim Johnson & Johnson failed to inform consumers about the cancer-causing chemical benzene in its Neutrogena and Aveeno brand sunscreen.
- Where: The class action lawsuit is pending in Florida federal court.
Johnson & Johnson failed to inform consumers about benzene, a cancer causing chemical, in several of its Neutrogena and Aveeno brand products, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Christine Goodwin and Christina T. Geloso claim the sunscreens manufactured by Johnson & Johnson contain “dangerous and unacceptable,” levels of benzene, as confirmed by independent testing and a nationwide recall.
Goodwin and Geloso want to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased any of the affected sunscreen products, as well as a subclass of consumers who purchased an affected product in Florida.
Benzene in Sunscreen Prompts Recall, Class Actions
Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a series of class action lawsuits in recent months over claims of benzene contamination in some of its sunscreen products.
In July, J&J recalled five of its Neutrogena and Aveeno brand spray sunscreens that were found to contain benzene, and recently it announced it was refunding consumers for those sunscreens.
Goodwin and Geloso claim in their lawsuit filed Wednesday that they reviewed and relied on package labeling before purchasing multiple Neutrogena sunscreens, understanding them to be representations and warranties that the product was safe for use and free from defects.
The products all failed to inform consumers that benzene could be an active or inactive ingredient, despite the fact it is a known human carcinogen as classified by the United States Department of Health and Health Services, the World Health Organization, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, according to the class action lawsuit.
Goodwin and Geloso claim exposure to benzene in sunscreen can lead to illnesses such as leukemia, anemia, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, among others.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meanwhile, lists benzene as a Class 1 solvent, and does not include it in a list of materials that are acceptable to be used in sunscreen products, according to the class action lawsuit.
Plaintiffs claim that independent testing done by Valisure — an independent pharmaceutical laboratory registered with the FDA — identified unacceptable levels of benzene in 13 Neutrogena sunscreens from 10 product lines.
Despite announcing the recall, Johnson & Johnson continues to market, sell, and profit from the sale of products containing false and misleading statements about their safety, the class action lawsuit alleges.
“To date, JJCI has not explained why or how benzene is present in the Products, or whether [Johnson & Johnson] conducted testing that could and should have detected benzene,” states the class action lawsuit.
Goodwin and Geloso claim Johnson & Johnson is guilty of unjust enrichment and in violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and seeking injunctive relief, restitution, and other equitable or monetary relief for themselves and all Class Members.
A class action lawsuit was recently filed against another sunscreen manufacturer, Edgewell Personal Care Brand, alleging it sells Banana Boat brand sunscreen falsely marketed as “Reef Friendly.”
Are you concerned about benzene in sunscreen? Have you purchased a Neutrogena or Aveeno sunscreen recalled for containing the chemical? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Chris Glover and David B. Byrne III of Beasley, Allen, Crow Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., Seth Meyer, Alex Dravillas, and Warren Postman of Keller Lenkner LLC, and Alexandra Walsh and Kimberly Channick of Walsh Law PLLC.
The Benzene in Sunscreen Class Action Lawsuit is Goodwin, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Case No. 2:21-cv-61890, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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256 thoughts onJohnson & Johnson Hit With Another Class Action Over Benzene in Sunscreen
I have multiple of all of these!