Alteril Sleep Aids Not as ‘Natural’ as Advertised, Class Action Says

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action lawsuit accuses the makers of Alteril sleep aids of misleading consumers by marketing the products as “natural” or “all natural” when they contain numerous synthetic ingredients.

Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.

The 31-page lawsuit says that the companies behind Alteril products—Global Product Management, Inc. and Dish Direct, Inc.—prominently label the items as “natural” to attract health-conscious shoppers, even though the supplements contain synthetic ingredients such as gelatin, maltodextrin, riboflavin, stearic acid, microcrystalline cellulose, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, sorbitol, magnesium stearate, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, titanium dioxide, dextrin, and glycerin.

According to the suit, the products at issue include Alteril All Natural Sleep Aid tablets, Alteril Natural Sleep Aid tablets, Alteril Fast Acting Softgels Natural Sleep Aid and Alteril PM with Turmeric Natural Sleep Aid.

The case calls foul on the defendants’ advertising, claiming it is meant to capitalize on consumers’ willingness to pay more for natural goods—a bold marketing ploy given that the companies purportedly knew the products contained synthetics.

Although the artificial ingredients found in the products are identified on the back label, reasonable consumers would not realize that these components are synthetic, the complaint argues.

“Discovering that the ingredients are not natural and are actually synthetic requires a scientific investigation and knowledge of chemistry beyond that of the average consumer,” the filing reads.

The demand for items free of artificial ingredients is increasing as consumers grow more anxious about the potentially unhealthy or unsafe effects of synthetics in everyday food, cosmetic, or household products, the lawsuit relays. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers a substance natural if it is made, produced or extracted from a naturally occurring source, has not undergone a chemical change, or has undergone a chemical change that was created by a natural occurring biological process, the complaint shares.

The plaintiff, a New York resident, ordered Alteril All Natural Sleep Aid tablets from Amazon.com in 2022, the suit says. Like other consumers, the woman was led to believe the product was made with natural ingredients and did not have artificial components, the case reports. Per the complaint, the plaintiff would not have paid as much, or purchased the tablets at all, had she known that some of the ingredients listed on the back label were synthetic.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased any of the Alteril-brand sleep aid products listed on this page during the applicable statute of limitations period.

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.