Systane class action claims eye drops falsely advertised as preservative-free

Systane class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Sarah Som-Dotson filed a class action lawsuit against Alcon Laboratories Inc.
• Why: Som-Dotson claims Alcon falsely advertised its Systane eyedrops as preservative-free.
• Where: The Systane class action lawsuit was filed in California state court.

A new class action lawsuit claims Alcon Laboratories falsely advertises its Systane eyedrops as being preservative-free when they actually contain boric acid.

Plaintiff Sarah Som-Dotson filed the class action complaint against Alcon on May 6 in California state court, alleging violations of state consumer laws.

According to the lawsuit, Alcon manufactures, advertises, markets, sells and distributes Systane eyedrop products throughout California and the United States.

Som-Dotson claims all of Alcon’s Systane products were advertised as containing “preservative-free” when they actually contain boric acid, which inhibits the growth of bacteria by disrupting essential metabolic processes.

“Boric acid is used as a preservative in cosmetics, including multidose eyedrops,” the Systane class action lawsuit says. “As a result, boric acid is a preservative in the products because it has bacteriostatic effects.”

Systane lawsuit claims plaintiff relied on product’s preservative-free label

Som-Dotson claims she purchased one of the Systane eyedrop products from Amazon.com in September 2025.

She says she reviewed the label prior to purchasing the product and relied on the “preservative-free” label when making her purchasing decision.

“As a result, [the plaintiff] and class members have been misled into purchasing products that did not provide them with the benefit of the bargain they paid money for, namely that the products did not contain preservatives,” the Systane class action lawsuit says.

Som-Dotson claims Alcon violated California’s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law. She wants to represent a nationwide class and California subclass of consumers who purchased Systane products within the last four years.

She is seeking an order certifying the Systane class action, an order requiring Alcon to engage in corrective advertising, a request for statutory enhanced damages and a jury trial.

In early 2025, Alcone was hit with a lawsuit claiming it hid the fact that certain specific eye drops were contaminated with fungus and failed to offer refunds after recalling them.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Systane class action lawsuit? Join the discussion in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Todd M. Friedman and Adrian R. Bacon of the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman P.C.

The Systane class action lawsuit is Som-Dotson v. Alcon Laboratories Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-04898, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

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