The main Thrive Cosmetics lawsuit was a 2018 class action accusing Thrive Causemetics of lying about its signature “buy one, give one” charitable promise. The case, Barker v. Thrive Causemetics, Inc., settled on undisclosed terms and was dismissed with prejudice in October 2019, meaning the same claims cannot be refiled.1Truth in Advertising. Thrive Causemetics
What The Class Action Alleged
Sara M. Barker filed the complaint on August 30, 2018, in King County Superior Court in Washington State, naming both Thrive Causemetics and founder and CEO Karissa Bodnar as defendants.1Truth in Advertising. Thrive Causemetics At the center of the case was what Barker called the company’s “cornerstone promise”: that for every cosmetic product a customer bought, Thrive would donate a product to a woman in need, particularly women battling cancer.2ClassAction.org. Class Action Claims Thrive Causemetics Charitable Donation Promises Are False
Barker said she bought a Thrive product in 2017 believing her purchase would support that mission. The complaint alleged the company did not actually follow through on the donation pledges and deliberately omitted that fact from its marketing. Customers, the suit argued, paid “premium prices” under the “false impression that they were helping those in need.”2ClassAction.org. Class Action Claims Thrive Causemetics Charitable Donation Promises Are False
The claims were brought under the Washington Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive business practices. Barker sought compensatory, exemplary, and treble damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees. The proposed class covered all Washington residents who bought Thrive products between August 30, 2014, and the end of the case.3ClassAction.org. Barker v. Thrive Causemetics Complaint
How The Case Ended
In October 2018, the defendants removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, where it was docketed as 2:18-cv-01470. Thrive denied every allegation in the complaint.1Truth in Advertising. Thrive Causemetics3ClassAction.org. Barker v. Thrive Causemetics Complaint
The litigation was short. The parties reached a settlement, and the court dismissed the case with prejudice in October 2019. The settlement terms were not made public, and there is no public record of the agreement requiring any specific policy change or injunctive relief.1Truth in Advertising. Thrive Causemetics No federal or state agency is known to have brought a separate enforcement action against the company over its donation claims.
What Thrive Says It Donates Now
The charitable pitch remains central to the brand. Thrive says that as of 2026 it has donated more than $185 million in funds and products and works with over 800 nonprofit “Giving Partners” globally, and it reported donating over $29 million in 2023 alone.4Forbes. Thrive Causemetics Karissa Bodnar Says the Brand’s Giveback Mission Has Grown So Much Bigger Than I Could Have Ever Dreamed5Thrive Causemetics. About Us Named recipients include Casting for Recovery, Mary’s Place, Ruby Room, UTOPIA WA, and a Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund for nursing students at the University of Louisville.6Casting for Recovery. Thrive Causemetics7Reign FC. Legend Preview Karissa Bodnar
Those numbers come from the company and its partners. Independent auditing of the totals has not been publicly documented, and Forbes reported in 2021 that the specific dollar value of the per-purchase donation itself was “undisclosed.”8Forbes. Karissa Bodnar
Other Lawsuits Involving Thrive
Two other legal matters sometimes get grouped with the charity case but are unrelated. In February 2021, Linda Slade sued Thrive in New York federal court alleging its website was not accessible to people with disabilities under the ADA. The available record does not show how that case was resolved.9Accessibility.com. Digital Lawsuits – Beauty
In September 2024, Thrive was the plaintiff, not the defendant. It filed a trademark infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against more than 100 unnamed online sellers accused of selling counterfeit Thrive products. The case remained active as of April 2025.10PACER Monitor. Thrive Causemetics Inc v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A
Consumer Complaints Outside Of Court
Thrive Causemetics holds an F rating from the Better Business Bureau and is not BBB-accredited. The BBB profile shows 23 complaints in the preceding three years, and the rating is driven partly by the company’s failure to respond to 11 of them.11Better Business Bureau. Thrive Causemetics Inc The most common grievances involve undelivered or missing items, unresponsive customer service, refund disputes, and confusion around subscription sign-ups. When the company has responded, it has offered refunds or store credit.12Better Business Bureau. Thrive Causemetics Inc – Complaints