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LaCroix facing lawsuit over mystery ingredient

Posted at 9:00 AM, Oct 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-05 22:17:25-04

The popular sparkling water brand LaCroix is facing a new class-action lawsuit over its ingredients.

According to Business Insider, the lawsuit says LaCroix's natural ingredients claims are false.

"In fact, as the filing states, testing reveals that LaCroix contains a number of artificial ingredients, including linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide," the law firm Beaumont Costales said.

LaCroix's parent company, Natural Beverages, said in a statement that it denies all allegations.

Natural flavors in LaCroix are derived from the natural essence oils from the named fruit used in each of the flavors. There are no sugars or artificial ingredients contained in, nor added to, those extracted flavors. All essences contained in LaCroix are certified by our suppliers to be 100% natural, Natural Beverages said.

According to a report by Popular Science, allegations in the suit are overblown. The three ingredients listed, limonene, linalool, and linalool propionate, are not considered "synthetic," nor are they considered "dangerous."

“It is very unlikely these naturally-occurring substances pose a health risk when consumed at levels usually found in foods,” USC food science expert Roger Clemens told Popular Science. “If there were a health risk, then citrus juices and spices, such as curry, would not be consumed or be part of the commodity market.”