Procter & Gamble is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging it falsely advertised its Olay cleaners containing retinol, a form of vitamin A that can smooth wrinkles and clear acne.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 22, alleges that buyers wouldn't have paid as much for the Olay cleansers or bought them had they known the truth about the advertised retinol, ClassAction.org reports.
Retinol needs to be used regularly and left on the skin for long periods to have benefits, according to the Cleveland Clinic, but the lawsuit said the Olay cleansers don't work this way.
"P&G exploits consumers’ perception of retinol’s benefits and their lack of knowledge about how retinol works by deceptively advertising and selling an array of retinol facial and skin cleansers that purport to deliver the commonly understood dermatologic benefits of retinol — but are rinsed off right away, therefore minimizing their contact time with the target organ, in this case the skin," the lawsuit said.
The Olay retinol in the cleansers also wasn't stored properly, meaning it isn't effective, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said the following Olay retinol cleansers are falsely advertised:
- Olay Cleaning & Renewing Body Wash with Retinol
- Olay Nighttime Rinse-off Body Conditioner with Retinol
- Olay Smoothing Daily Facial Cleanser Retinol 24 + Peptide
- Olay Renewing Exfoliating Cleanser with Retinol
- Olay Cleansing Melts + Retinol
Procter & Gamble didn't immediately respond to ConsumerAffairs's request for comment.
Law firm Blood Hurst & O'Reardon filed the lawsuit against Procter & Gamble.
Email Dieter Holger at dholger@consumeraffairs.com.