Class Action Claims Honey Pot Feminine Washes ‘Not Suitable’ for Intended Use

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A proposed class action alleges the Honey Pot Company’s feminine care foaming washes are unsafe for their advertised intended use.

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In particular, the 31-page lawsuit says Honey Pot’s foaming washes are not suitable to use on the vulva in light of the medical community’s “adamant” stance that “women should only use water” for cleaning, and that “feminine care washes are harmful to women’s health.” 

Accordingly, Honey Pot’s Normal Wash, Sensitive Wash, Cucumber Aloe Wash and Bergamot Rose Foaming Wash, which the company affirms should be part of a consumer’s cleaning “routine,” are falsely and misleadingly advertised and labeled given that they’re “not safe for vulvar use, let alone on a daily basis,” the complaint contends. 

Broader, the complaint summarizes that although the feminine hygiene market “preys on the notion that women need a product to make their vaginas and vulvas ‘clean’ or smell a certain way,” medical experts stress that such products are not only “unnecessary” but can release harmful, disruptive chemicals.

“Despite Defendant’s claim that the Products ‘support[] a balanced pH range,’ gynecologists urge women not to use any feminine care washes because they can ‘alter[] the normal eco-system [(i.e., pH balance)] and can allow growth of [bad] bacteria and yeast.’”

Per the case, Honey Pot’s feminine care foaming washes are touted as able to “boost moisture and soothe while gently cleansing [a woman’s] most delicate parts.” Reasonable consumers who view the products’ labels would believe that the items are “suitable for vulvar cleansing,” the filing says. 

According to the suit, the vagina is a “delicate environment” that is “constantly working to stay lubricated, maintain its pH balance, and keep good versus bad bacteria in check.” The female anatomy is essentially “self-cleaning” via discharge from the uterus, cervix and vagina, which has its own natural microbiome that “helps regulate the vaginal pH and ward off health problems,” the filing says. 

The lawsuit stresses that because female sex organs self-clean, “gynecologists, health agencies, medical schools, and medical associations all advise women to only use plain warm water to clean the vagina and vulva.” 

“Not only is soap unnecessary to maintain a clean vulva and vagina, but introducing chemicals (e.g., through soap) to such a delicate system is hazardous. The vagina and portions of the vulva are mucous membranes and thus are capable of secreting and absorbing fluids at a higher rate than regular skin. Researchers have even explored the possibility of delivering drugs vaginally because of the organ’s ability to rapidly absorb chemicals without metabolizing them. However, although rapid absorption may be helpful when administering medication, it poses serious issues when a woman’s vagina and vulva are exposed to harmful chemicals.” 

Simply put, the case stresses, the medical community warns that using soap can cause irritation or other health issues, including vaginitis, bacterial infections, yeast infections or other diseases. 

According to the case, the plaintiff and proposed class members, “[a]t best,” would not have paid as much for Honey Pot’s foaming feminine care washes in the absence of the company’s misrepresentations concerning the items’ suitability for vulvar use. 

“At worst,” the lawsuit says, “Plaintiff and other Class Members would not have purchased the Products at all but for Defendant’s misrepresentations and omissions because the Products are not only dangerous, they are unnecessary and therefore worthless.” 

The case looks to cover all persons in the United States who bought Honey Pot’s feminine care foaming washes within the applicable statute of limitations period. 

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