People Are Saying This Lip Balm Gives Them Rashes and Blisters
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EOS lip balm just reached a resolution in a class action lawsuit from customers who claimed the product can cause rashes and blisters around their mouths.
The lip balm brand released a statement to ATTN: on January 28 stating that EOS products are "safe":
"We are pleased to announce that the class action lawsuit brought against eos earlier this month has been resolved. Our products are safe – and this settlement confirms that. Our lip balms are hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, made with the highest quality ingredients, meet or exceed all safety and quality standards set by our industry and are validated by rigorous safety testing conducted by independent labs. We love our customers and their enjoyment of our products is our top priority. We thank them for their continued support.”
Mark Geragos, the lawyer who brought the class action lawsuit, said in a statement that EOS was "responsive" to the concerns of consumers:
"I am very pleased that we have been able to so quickly and amicably resolve the matter with eos lip balm products. This is a testament to eos being responsive to the concerns of their consumers. eos has demonstrated through data that their lip balms are hypoallergenic, and has provided a mechanism for individual instances to be resolved. eos makes great products and the company is doing the right thing by adding more information about their lip balm products on packaging so that buyers can make informed choices. We will be applying to the courts to close this case.”
EOS, which celebrities such as Kesha and Gwen Stefani have promoted in the past, is well-loved for its egg-shaped appearance.
The lip balm has been popular since it hit the market in 2009. (The Pomegranate Raspberry lip calm costs $4.68 on Amazon.) However, Geragos said his client, Rachael Cronin experienced bleeding, blistering, bleeding, and cracking on her mouth upon using the lip balm.
"As with all of EOS packaging, the packaging contained no warnings about potential adverse side-effects from the products use," the court documents read. "Ms. Cronin began applying the lip-balm that same day. Within hours, her lips became substantially dry and coarse, what Ms. Cronin describes as feeling like 'sandpaper,' causing her to apply more of the balm on her lip to achieve the results of becoming 'sensationally smooth.' Ms. Cronin's lips did not become smooth, and began severely cracking on the edges causing flaking and bleeding from the cracks."
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The court documents alleged that Cronin had issues for ten days and needed to seek medical attention. The papers also stated that after Cronin wrote about her experiences on Facebook, many other people came forward to report similar experiences with the product. The lawsuit included images of people who claim the lip balm had a similar impact on them:
Scribd - scribd.com
Scribd - scribd.com
Some have also complained of similar experiences on the lip balm's Facebook page and product page on Amazon:
EOS Facebook - facebook.com
Some fans of EOS were critical of the lawsuit, saying that there will be a portion of the population that has an allergic reaction to any beauty product.
EOS Facebook - facebook.com
Nancy Chan, the marketing director of EOS products, told ATTN: via email that the company finds the lawsuit to be "without merit":
"We firmly believe this lawsuit is without merit. Our products are made with the highest quality ingredients and meet or exceed all safety and quality standards set out by our industry and validated by rigorous testing conducted by an independent lab. The health and well-being of our customers is our top priority and millions of satisfied customers use our products every day, many of whom take the time to share their experiences with us."
The company also posted this Facebook update on Wednesday:
"Some of you may have seen reports of a lawsuit filed against our company. We wanted to be sure that you, our valued customers and fans, know that the health and well-being of our customers is our top priority. Our products are safe to use, are made with the highest quality ingredients and they all meet or exceed all safety and quality standards set out by our industry. An independent laboratory puts each of our products through a battery of rigorous testing to ensure this is the case. For these reasons, we firmly believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we will continue to create new and exciting products that delight our customers. Thank you. EOS"
Update: This story was updated to reflect the update in the class action lawsuit. This story was first published on January 16, 2016.
