Honest Co. Fires Back Amid Claims By Publication That Detergent Contains Foaming Agent

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Like many mothers, Heather Klass opens up her monthly bundle of the Honest Co. products.

"It's the product we all use," said the Santa Monica mother of two-year-old Brady. She is stocking her nursery for her second child due this month.

"The reason why we bought these Honest products is because babies have sensitive skin, you don't know what they are going to react to or not react to. The reason why you buy Honest products is because they are supposed to be free and clear of all of these things," she said.

That's why Klass was surprised to hear the Wall Street Journal's claims that two independent lab tests they conducted found sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, in the laundry detergent of one of the most popular products.

SLS is a foaming agent used in many products but one the Honest Co. says is an irritant it never uses.

From diapers to cleaning supplies, the company co-founded by Jessica Alba has become a $1.7 billion empire largely in part to its reputation as a safer and more ecologically friendly line.

The Honest Co. released a statement that said in part that the paper "... has been reckless in the preparation of this article, refused multiple requests to share data on which they apparently relied and has substituted junk science for credible journalism ... "

The company went on to say, "... we use Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) in our brand's laundry detergent because it is a gentler alternative that is less irritating ..."

"They use the word sodium coco sulfate to imply that it's derived from the coconut and sodium coco sulfate can also be irritating," said Robert Eitches, M.D., an allergist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Eitches says SLS can be a less concentrated component of the coco product.

"It's really just using a name to mask to some extent to mask the idea that it's sodium lauryl sulfate," Eitches said.

While he says it's not toxic, it can still be irritating, especially to a baby's skin, enough to make Klass wonder if the laundry soap is as clean as claimed.

"If there's any inkling that there is something in there that will irritate their skin, I'd switch," she said.

Last year, lawsuits were filed against the Honest Co. alleging that the company's sunscreens were ineffective and contained unnatural ingredients.