Sugarmill Distillery has agreed to settle claims its coronavirus hand sanitizer was mislabeled and mismarketed as 99% effective against all germs.
The settlement benefits consumers in Illinois or Missouri who purchased Sugarmill hand sanitizer products labeled as “HEX hand sanitizer” between May 15, 2017, and April 1, 2022.
Sugarmill Distillery is a Missouri distillery that manufacturers liquors such as vodka and whiskey. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the company started to manufacture its own hand sanitizer after seeing the shortages across the country.
“When COVID-19 hit the U.S. along with all the shortages, our customers started calling,” Sugarmill Distillery head Matt Heckemeyer told the Standard Democrat. “They asked what we could do to help fill the gaps that traditional sources were left out. We went to work to get a product online quickly to do our part in the crisis.”
To meet these needs, the distillery started to sell Hex hand sanitizer at local stores. Although these products were motivated by good intentions, legal action against the company argues the products were falsely advertised.
Packaging on the products allegedly claimed that the HEX hand sanitizer was 99% effective against all germs. These statements were inaccurate and falsely inflated the efficacy rating of the hand sanitizer products, the class action lawsuit contends.
In news coverage from local CBS affiliate KFVS-12, Heckemeyer noted Sugarmill Distillery’s hand sanitizer was a...
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