--- title: Users of Jessica Alba's Honest Company Sunscreen Are Getting Sunburnt description: Honest Company sunscreen is getting bad reviews by users posting painful-looking sunburn photos they say they took after using the product canonical: https://time.com/3981643/jessica-alba-honest-company-organic-sunscreen-sunburn/ author: Alissa Greenberg article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-03T07:41:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:29:31.847Z article:section: Health og:title: Complaints Mount Over Jessica Alba's Sunscreen og:description: Some users of the Honest Company product say they are getting burned og:url: https://time.com/3981643/jessica-alba-honest-company-organic-sunscreen-sunburn/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91b6e15bf5d360e5/69885d83e53abadd584dee1d/472445954.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Fast Company Hosts First-Ever LA Creativity Counter Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Complaints Mount Over Jessica Alba's Sunscreen twitter:description: Some users of the Honest Company product say they are getting burned twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91b6e15bf5d360e5/69885d83e53abadd584dee1d/472445954.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Users of Jessica Alba's Honest Company Sunscreen Are Posting Photos of Epic Sunburns > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=859e9635-a3a8-40bc-9363-17ca14f9bd4f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Customers Complain Jessica Alba’s Sunscreen Doesn’t Work [Watch (HLS stream): Customers Complain Jessica Alba’s Sunscreen Doesn’t Work](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Bk6NDMge.m3u8) (0:44)  _Published 2015-08-03. The Honest Company, co-founded by Jessica Alba in 2011, received some backlash from customers claiming the company’s SPF 30 sunscreen is ineffective._ by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Aug 3, 2015 7:41 AM UTC The Honest Company, co-founded by Jessica Alba in 2011, received some backlash from customers claiming the company’s SPF 30 sunscreen is ineffective. by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Aug 3, 2015 7:41 AM UTC Eco-friendly Honest Company’s sunscreen may be “naturally derived,” “unscented” and “non-toxic,” according to the company’s [website](https://www.honest.com/bath-and-body/sunscreen-spf-30), but now some users on social media are claiming that it doesn’t work. The sunscreen, promoted by sometime-movie-star Jessica Alba’s wildly successful baby product company as “providing the best broad spectrum protection for your family,” is getting bad reviews by users online, many of whom are posting painful-looking sunburn photos they say they took after using the product. > [](https://twitter.com/bdatherton/status/605501424261201921) > [](https://twitter.com/DJ%5FDTM/status/627942602403368961) > [](https://twitter.com/LindsyMarshall/status/625103725254696960) In a [statement](http://www.today.com/health/jessica-albas-honest-sunscreen-gets-some-complaints-t36031) to the _Today_ _Show_, the Honest Company stressed that the sunscreen is tested by an independent third party with positive results and that “the number of complaints received on our own website about our Sunscreen Lotion constitute less than one half of one percent of all units actually sold at [Honest.com](https://www.honest.com/). We stand behind the safety and efficacy of this product.” A country-wide investigation by [NBC5 in Chicago](http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Angry-Parents-Complaints-About-Popular-Sunscreen-Brand-318367591.html) found that the sunscreen’s formula was changed at some point, reducing to 9.3% non-nano zinc oxide from 20%. (The majority of zinc oxide sunscreens list their active ingredients at 18 to 25%). Still, the company says it added other components to make up for the difference in zinc. “The Honest Company has been transparent about the amount of zinc since the new formula came out in early 2015 as seen on the website and the new formula’s packaging,” the company told _Today_. \[[_Today_](http://www.today.com/health/jessica-albas-honest-sunscreen-gets-some-complaints-t36031)\] **Read next:** [You Asked: Is Sunscreen Safe —and Do I Really Need It Daily?](http://time.com/3056125/you-asked-is-sunscreen-safe-and-do-i-really-need-it-daily/) ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME ## Transcript Jessica Alba is known for being scorching hot, but some people have complained that her company's sunscreen left them feeling the burn. The Honest Company, which Alba cofounded in 2011 received some online backlash on Twitter from people claiming the SPF 30 sunscreen is ineffective. Angry users even went to Amazon. com's review section to vent their frustration. Most reviewers gave the product just one out of five stars. But the Honest Company is standing by it's product. It claimed the sunscreen passed every test from the food and drug administration. In a statement to People the company said, " The results showed that our product is effective and safe for use as an 80 minute water- resistant SPF 30 sunscreen lotion ." 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