Jessica Alba's Honest Company Denies Claims Their Detergent Contains Chemical They Said to Avoid

The Honest Company being dishonest? Not so fast.

Jessica Alba's consumer goods company is on the defense after The Wall Street Journal released a story claiming the company's detergent contains the compound sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient they've previously expressed consumers should avoid. "Our findings support that there is a significant amount of sodium lauryl sulfate in Honest's detergent," Barbara Pavan, a chemist at Impact Analytical, told the paper.

However, The Honest Company denies such claims and attempts to set the record straight in a statement obtained by E! News.

"At The Honest Company, our mission is to develop safe and effective products for our families to use and for families everywhere to feel great about. Despite providing The Wall Street Journal with substantial evidence to the contrary, they falsely claimed our laundry detergent contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)," the statement began.

"To set the record straight, we use Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) in our brand's laundry detergent because it is a gentler alternative that is less irritating and safer to use. Rigorous testing and analysis both by our internal research and development teams as well as further testing by external partners have confirmed this fact. The Wall Street Journal has been reckless in the preparation of this article, refused multiple requests to share data on which they apparently relied and has substituted junk science for credible journalism."

Alba's company concludes, "We stand behind our laundry detergent and take very seriously the responsibility we have to our consumers to create safe and effective products."

Regardless, WSJ is standing by their reporting, with a spokesperson telling E! News, "The Journal's report is accurate, fair and meets the Journal's established and trusted high standards, including giving the Honest Company numerous opportunities to respond to our findings. We took great care in preparing this story, relying on two tests with two different labs and numerous experts during an extensive and lengthy investigation."

SLS is reportedly found in many common household products, including Procter & Gamble's Crest toothpaste and Dawn dish detergent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to the chemical may cause a cough or sore throat if inhaled; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea if ingested; and redness if exposed to skin or eyes.

Additionally, the CDC states "repeated or prolonged contact with skin may cause dermatitis," or skin inflammation.

—Reporting by Holly Passalaqua