Mold Likelihood Leads The Honest Company To Recall Baby Wipes

The Honest Company's website gives consumers a way to determine if their wipes are a part of the recall. (Image via the Honest Company)

If a consumer goods entity christens itself with a name that conveys integrity, it had better be prepared to admit any possible flaw or obvious fault in its product line. The Honest Company validated its name recently by voluntarily recalling baby wipes lots that could contain mold.

The enterprise, which actress Jessica Alba co-founded in 2011, is engaging in its second 2017 recall, with January yielding concerns over organic baby powder’s probable contamination with skin- and eye-infection-causing microorganisms. This occasion saw Alba’s peer, chief purpose officer Christopher Gavigan, issue a video statement that explains, “A recent quality audit concluded there is the potential for the presence of mold in certain lots of our wipes, resulting in staining. The aesthetics are unacceptable and we believe any affected products are not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

The businessman also stressed that the Honest Company will uphold its allegiance to high-quality and nontoxic goods by having the wipes-producing manufacturing plant implement better cleaning and testing measures, inspections and sampling requirements. The effected items, with distribution in the United States and Canada, came in 10-, 72-, 288- and 576-count packages, with the Honest Company also peddling them through gift sets and diaper cakes offerings. Nine total UPC lot numbers comprise the recall, and Gavigan added that no supplemental products will be joining the wipes in the request for return.

The announcement marks yet another interesting entry in the annals of the California-headquartered company whose Facebook page notes having a presence in more than 3,500 retail locations. While it has done extremely well financially and has made news within the promotional products industry, it has found itself the frequent target of naysayers and litigators. This recent recall, which Gavigan said stems from “an abundance of caution,” could prove yet another motivator for critics or an opportunity for Alba, who has not publicly commented on the matter, and her colleagues to take into even greater consideration the severity behind their business model, including their Honest to Goodness initiative.