Mrs. Meyer’s Lawsuits Explained

This article was reviewed by Kian R. Magaña, lawyer from The Magaña Firm.

Lawsuit #1

In 2009, David Steinman filed a civil lawsuit against Mrs. Meyer’s parent company for “failure to warn consumers that Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap containing 1,4-dioxane… exposes consumers to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer.”

The lawsuit alleged that the “defendant markets its product with knowledge that exposures to 1,4-dioxane occur.”

1,4-dioxane is a Proposition 65 chemical because it can cause cancer.

1,4-dioxane is not intentionally added to cleaning products but can form during the manufacture of ethoxylated surfactants, says the Prop 65 website.

Surfactants that can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include: Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), Ammonium laureth sulfate, Polysorbates (e.g. Polysorbate 20, 60, 80) made by ethoxylation, Alkyl (C10-16) ether sulfate, Lauryl ethoxylate, Lauryl alcohol ethoxylate, Laureth-6, laureth-7, Laureth-23, C10-C16 ethoxylated alcohol, C12-15 pareth-2, Soy methyl ester ethoxylate, Alkoxylated polyethyleneimine, and Polyethyleneimine ethoxylate propoxylate, Steareth-20, Ceteareth-30, Alcohol Ethoxylates (C9-11, 6-10EO, PEGs, Nonylphenol ethoxylate 9, and Octylphenol ethoxylated.

Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap (which I review here) at the time of writing contains ingredients that could be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane including Polysorbate 20.

Proposition 65 allows for 10 ppm (parts per million) of 1,4-dioxane (source).

Since my bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap did not contain a Prop 65 warning I can assume they have brought the levels down low enough to not require the label, or they do not contain any 1,4-dioxane at all.

As an outcome of the lawsuit, Mrs. Meyer’s had to have their products tested for a year to make sure they were below this level or provide a clear Prop 65 warning. They also had to pay 50,000 USD. (Source)

Lawsuit #2

Lawbench.org, a blog, claims that in another lawsuit, allegations against Mrs. Meyer’s “assert that the brand has been using synthetic ingredients instead of natural ones, contrary to what is advertised on their product labels. Consumers argue that this misrepresentation has led them to believe that they are purchasing environmentally friendly and safe products when, in reality, they may not be.”

However, we found no other evidence online about this lawsuit, it was not mentioned on any official legal sites, the FTC, or other government websites.

Should You Use Mrs. Meyer’s Products?

It’s totally up to you if you choose to use Mrs. Meyer’s products.

Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap contains the (controversial) plant-based surfactant SLS as the main cleansing agent, plus additional plant-based surfactants.

Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap and other household products use both plant-derived fragrance ingredients and synthetic fragrance ingredients in all scent options.

They use the very common isothiazolinone class of preservatives which have a D rating on EWG (Environmental Working Group) due to toxicity to aquatic life and issues of skin sensitivity/allergies.

The dish soap is biodegradable and is 88% bio-based.

7/12 of the ingredients in the main part (the soap) have a C or D rating on EWG. All 12 of the fragrance ingredients (in Mint) have a C or D rating on EWG.

I compare Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap to Seventh Generation Dish Soap here.

Looking for an alternative household cleaner and dish soap without SLS, possible 1,4-dioxane contamination, or isothiazolione preservatives? Check out my review of Branch Basics (100% bio-based).

Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.