‘Greenwashed’ Gain Laundry Detergent Contains Carcinogen Dioxane, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims Procter & Gamble has misled consumers by implying its Gain laundry detergent is environmentally friendly when the product contains high levels of the toxin dioxane.

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The 13-page lawsuit takes issue with P&G’s so-called “greenwashing” of its Gain Original Aroma Boost laundry detergent, whose bright green packaging features stylized images of flowers, leaves and butterflies, in an attempt to make the product seem more environmentally friendly.

The suit claims that independent testing of the detergent in 2022 by Bureau Veritas revealed that it contained 3.32 parts per million (PPM) of dioxane, a toxic organic compound that accumulates in the body over time and has been recognized as a “probable human carcinogen” by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Per the case, the detergent’s packaging makes no mention of the presence of dioxane, which is added to mitigate the risk of skin irritation caused by “harsh petroleum-based ingredients” like sodium laureth sulfate, itself listed in small print on the back label as a “Cleaning Agent.”

According to the complaint, dioxane exposure can occur through inhalation, skin absorption and, more pertinently, contaminated drinking water.

“Beyond the risks to human health, dioxane’s detection in drinking water is the result of its use in products such as laundry detergents like Gain Original Aroma Boost, where the water used for laundering clothes gets washed down the drain into vulnerable aquifers,” the filing expands.

Though New York has banned laundry detergents containing over two PPM of the toxin, “unfettered dioxane production” has left some of the state’s water supplies with the highest levels of the compound nationwide—over a hundred times the EPA’s cancer risk guideline of 0.35 parts per billion, the lawsuit charges.

The plaintiff, a New York resident, has purchased Gain Original Aroma Boost within the last two years, the suit says. The woman claims she would not have paid as much for the detergent, or bought it at all, had she known its “greenwashed” representations concealed the presence of high levels of dioxane, the case shares.

Per the complaint, products like Gain Original Aroma Boost may have since been reformulated to remove the compound, or P&G may have sought permission to continue production using the toxin.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in New York, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma or Utah who purchased Gain Original Aroma Boost detergent during the applicable statutes of limitations period.

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