Jessica Alba's Honest brand has come under fire over its recently reformulated mineral sunscreen. Disappointed users took to Twitter and Facebook, sharing pictures of their sunburnt skin after using the product. Others posted pictures and shared stories on Amazon's review service, where the product is also sold. The product currently has a three star rating with 58% of users giving the product the lowest rating of one star.
According to US news outlet NBC5 the company recently reduced the amount of zinc used in the product from 20% to 9.3%. Most mineral sunscreens contain 18-20% zinc.
In an initial statement, Honest responded to the claims stating that their product had been FDA-tested and was safe to use. The company said: "The number of complaints received on our own website about our sunscreen lotion constitute less than one half of one percent of all units actually sold at honest.com."
However, Jessica Alba has since released a further statement as the negative reviews continued to pour in. In an open letter, posted on the Honest website as well as Alba's Instagram page, the actress said: "Protecting our loved ones and yours is the reason we founded @honest. As parents, it pains us to hear that anyone has had a negative experience with our sunscreen." She went on to say that Honest's founders all use the product on their own children and that the product had been reformulated to give a lighter feel and easier application.
Those disastisfied with the product are now encouraged to contact Honest directly, with the company reaching out to those who have posted about the sunscreen on social media.
The Honest company was founded in 2001 and is now said to be worth $1bn. The company plans to release a beauty range later this year.
