Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent

March 2019: A federal judge preliminarily approved a proposed settlement agreement that would provide class members with a $2 cash award for each purchase of a container that was smaller than 150 ounces and a $4 cash award for each purchase of a container that was 150 ounces or larger. Class members with proof of purchase may receive a cash award for every product purchased while class members without proof of purchase may receive a cash award for up to 10 products purchased. In addition, the company agreed, but only for a period of up to five years, to:

• add the qualifying language “contains naturally derived and other ingredients” to the front label of packages with the phrase “Natural Elements;”
• add “USDA Certified Bio-Based” to the front label of products that meet the appropriate standard;
• stop using the phrase “Natural Elements” or other variations of the word “natural” on product labels unless they comply with the labelling requirements in the settlement agreement; and
• modify its website to conform to the labelling changes in the settlement agreement.

A final fairness hearing is scheduled for August 19, 2019.

February 2018: A federal judge denied both the parties’ competing motions for summary judgment concluding that there are factual issues regarding whether the phrase “Natural Elements” is misleading to reasonable consumers.

May 2017: A class-action lawsuit was filed against Henkel Consumer Goods for allegedly falsely marketing Purex Natural Elements laundry detergent as containing “Natural Elements” when, according to the plaintiffs, the detergents contain artificial and synthetic ingredients. (Luib et al v. Henkel Consumer Goods Inc., Case No. 17-cv-3021, E. D. NY.)

For more information about natural claims, click here.