A group of women are suing the multilevel marketing company Rodan + Fields for what they are calling fraudulent practices, after numerous customers experienced harmful sides caused by one of the company’s cosmetic products.
The lawsuit claims customers using Rodan + Fields’s Lash Boost have experienced “change in iris color, eyelid drooping, itchy eyes, eye/lid discoloration, thinning and loss of eyelashes/loss of eyelash hair, eye sensitivity, eye infections, and vision impairment.”
Although required by the FDA, customers are claiming Rodan + Fields didn’t disclose that Lash Boost contained isopropyl cloprostenate, and chose not to warn customers of the potential side effects.
Rodan + Fields however claims the products is safe when used as directed and denies any wrong doing on their part.
A group of unhappy Rodan + Fields customers have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, saying its “lash boost” serum left them with swollen, red, and crusty eyes https://t.co/ZQsghKQjUQ
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) April 19, 2018
Rodan + Fields was founded in 2002 by the makers of Proactiv. Although originally marketed to high end department stores, the company transitioned to multi-level marketing in 2007 and has since seen a meteoric rise within the skin care industry, largely due to their social media presence among customers that rave about their products.
Lash Boost!Lash Boost!Lash Boost!Lash Boost!Lash Boost!Lash Boost!Lash Boost!
🙂 I am being subliminal 🙂
— debbie sponsler (@DebsSponsler) April 20, 2018
100% swear by it! I love the lash boost
— allison (@allisonsloann) April 23, 2018
Got my @RodanFieldsHQ #lashboost on its way to my house and i cannot wait. Wedding lashes here i come
— Lynnae (@LynnaeWinnie) April 20, 2018
After the 2007 transition to a MLM business model Rodan + Fields began selling their products though “independent consultants”, commission based sales people who built their own teams. But unlike the Avon and Mary Kay sales women of the past, products are no longer sold door-to-door, but on social media, flooding feeds on Facebook and Instagram.
FaBuLASH Friday!! Lash Boost at my price! Message me! pic.twitter.com/NtyWLOkShV
— Brandi Sanner (@SannerBrandi) April 20, 2018
Not this girl! Why don’t you message me now so we can start your LASH BOOST journey ASAP! pic.twitter.com/llWuqKDNUq
— MK LeCroy (@kaykay_lecroy) April 22, 2018
LAST DAY of my Spring Fling Rodan + Fields Sales Event Daily Deals. If you missed them, let me know and I'll privately message you. They are TOO good to post publicly and TOO good to pass up! #springflingsalesevent #dailydeals #lastdaytograbtheoffers #1skincarebrandintheUSA
— Janice Hejl (@janice_hejl) April 23, 2018
Now through 4/30, your PC enrollment fee is on me!
I’m going to give all new R+F Preferred Customers $20 back to cover your enrollment fee. Now’s the time to get that skincare regimen, Lash Boost, or… https://t.co/yC8UO3ZhMA
— Yvette Cortez (@YvetteACortez) April 23, 2018
Lashboost Bulk orders Today!! Prefect Gift with great Savings
For… https://t.co/jr1yWeCvYS— Renette Lisa Ah Yo (@RenetteYo) April 23, 2018
Along with concerns over their product safety Rodan + Fields is also facing backlash for their business model which many liken to other infamous pyramid schemes such as Herbalife and Amway.
I get so tired of hearing about Rodan + Fields from FB friends who sell it. It is relentless 24/7 sales.
— Foster's Mom (@isabellablanc) April 19, 2018
Y'all I swear if these people don't stay out of my messages with this Rodan + Fields stuff yes I want longer lashes. No, I don't wanna pay $150 for LashBoost. THANKS!
— Kylie Covin, RDH (@KnCovin) April 23, 2018
Rodan & fields, young living, younique, primerica – they are all pyramid schemes. All disgusting, predatory businesses with subpar, overpriced products. Don't support them.
— ashley (@henfreakez) April 14, 2018
Although marketing products containing drugs like isopropyl cloprostenateas as cosmetics violates current FDA regulations companies like Rodan + Fields have seen little in the way of penalties so far, but the medical community is pressuring the FDA for stricter enforcement.
In light of the lawsuit however Rodan + Fields may soon face a whole new type of social media promotion, and it’s not the good kind.
#LashBoost causing dry eye? Contact us: https://t.co/sbvbgCfOSX
— Consumer Complaint (@ConsumerCpltBd) April 19, 2018
H/T – Buzz Feed