Jessica Alba's $1.7 billion startup Honest Co. is being sued for allegedly selling 'deceptively' labeled products

Jessica Alba's startup, The Honest Co., has just been smacked with a lawsuit that alleges five of its "Honest" products are "deceptively and misleadingly labeled."

The plaintiff in the suit, Jonathan D. Rubin, claims that Honest's products are marketed as "natural" but in fact contain "unnatural ingredients." And Rubin wants Honest to pay him and all customers like him for this supposed deception.

Honest, which sells eco-friendly household products like premium diapers and toothpaste, recently raised $100 million at a $1.7 billion valuation.

But in the past few weeks the company has faced criticism for its sunscreen being ineffective. Some users took to the internet to vent about their sunburns, and Honest responded with a statement that they take all customer complaints very seriously.

The new lawsuit seems to reference this outcry, as it claims that contrary to Honest's representations, Honest Sunscreen "was ineffective in preventing unhealthy exposure to harmful UV rays."

But the real meat of the suit lies in claims that Honest misrepresented its products as natural. Having one potentially defective sunscreen is one thing, but having the entire premise of your company called into question is entirely different.

The suit calls out four products in particular: Honest Hand Soap, Honest Dish Soap, Honest Diapers, and Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner. And it claims that Honest is able to sell these products to consumers at a 10% to 20% markup based on aggressively marketing them as "natural."

Rubin interprets the word "natural" in the company's marketing to mean they contain no artificial ingredients. He then cites multiple synthetic preservatives (Methylisothiazolinone and Phenoxyethanol) and other synthetic ingredients allegedly contained in the products.

Business Insider has reached out to Honest for comment.

Read the court document below:

Honest Co. lawsuit