People who bought Dr. Squatch personal care products labeled "natural" in the United States between November 1, 2018 and August 29, 2026 may qualify to claim $0.50 per product from the $9 million Dr. Squatch class action settlement, for five products with no receipt or 25 in total with proof. Claims close November 27, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. Claim forms must be submitted online by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on November 27, 2026, or postmarked by that date if filed on paper. The separate deadline to exclude yourself or to object is October 13, 2026. The court has not yet approved the settlement: a final approval hearing is scheduled for March 2, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time in Department 11 of the Los Angeles Superior Court. No payment date has been announced, and the notice states plainly that no money is available now and that there is no guarantee benefits will ever be distributed.What Changed Recently?
The settlement is newly open to claims. Dr. Squatch, LLC has agreed to pay $9,000,000 into a settlement fund to resolve Guzman v. Dr. Squatch, LLC, Case No. 25STCV03523, in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles. The court granted preliminary approval and the notice program is running, which is what opened the claim window. Final approval is a separate step still ahead.Dr. Squatch denies the allegations and denies any wrongdoing. The company maintains that its products were properly labeled as natural. The court has not decided in favor of either side, and the notice is explicit that it does not imply any court has found or would have found that Dr. Squatch violated the law, that a class would have been certified, or that anyone would have recovered damages had the case gone forward.
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What the Case Alleged
The plaintiffs alleged that Dr. Squatch marketed certain personal care products as natural while those products contained ingredients the plaintiffs said were synthetic. The theory is a price-premium one familiar from other labeling cases: that the natural claim is material to how consumers choose among competing soaps and grooming products, and that buyers paid more than they otherwise would have.None of that was proven. The parties went to mediation before a professional mediator and exchanged information about the claims before agreeing to settle. Class counsel says it weighed the risk of losing class certification, of failing on the merits, of failing to prove damages at trial, and of appeals, and concluded the settlement was better for the class than continuing. Dr. Squatch settled to end the case without admitting liability.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is everyone who bought Covered Products in the United States between November 1, 2018 and August 29, 2026. There is no state-residency requirement and no minimum purchase, though the case itself was filed in California state court.Excluded are current and former employees, officers, directors, agents and legal representatives of Dr. Squatch and its affiliated entities, along with their immediate family members. The claim form also excludes anyone who bought the products for resale.
The class period has already closed, so a purchase made today does not qualify. Only purchases inside that window count.
Which Dr. Squatch Products Are Covered?
Covered Products are all products Dr. Squatch manufactured, sold or distributed, currently or in the past, that carry the statement "natural" on the product's labeling. That is a label test, not a product-line test — the complete list is Exhibit C to the settlement agreement, available through the official settlement website. The notice summarizes it as 19 categories:• Bar Soap • Beard Oil • Beard Oil & Cologne • Lotion • Body Wash • Cologne • Cologne Oil • Conditioner • Deodorant • Face Wash • Hand Sanitizer • Hand Soap • Lip Balm • Lotion to Powder • Post Shave • Shampoo • Shave Butter • Toothpaste • Wipes
The table below points to a current retail listing in most of those categories, so a reader can match what is in their bathroom against the covered list. Two cautions. First, these are today's listings — packaging and formulas change, and whether a specific item you bought carried the word "natural" during the class period is what the settlement actually turns on, not what the current listing says. Second, buying anything now does not make you eligible, because the class period closed on August 29, 2026.
| Covered category | Example Dr. Squatch product |
|---|---|
| Bar Soap | Men's Bar Soap Sampler, 5-Pack — Pine Tar, Gold Moss, Cedar Citrus, Bay Rum, Cool Fresh Aloe |
| Bar Soap | Wood Barrel Bourbon Bar Soap — single 5 oz medium-grit bar |
| Bar Soap | Total Moisture Bar Soap, 3-Pack — 2-in-1 face and body bar |
| Body Wash | Body Wash 2-Pack — Pine Tar and Coconut Castaway, 14 oz |
| Deodorant | Fresh Falls Deodorant — aluminum-free, 2.65 oz |
| Deodorant | Deodorant Variety 6-Pack — Fresh Falls, Pine Tar, Wood Barrel Bourbon |
| Shampoo & Conditioner | Body Wash and Hair Kit — Fresh Falls body wash, shampoo and conditioner |
| Beard Oil & Cologne | Beard Oil & Cologne 3-Pack — Fireside Bourbon, Glacial Falls, Woodland Pine |
| Shave Butter & Post Shave | Wood Barrel Bourbon Shave Bundle — shave butter plus post shave |
| Face Wash | Face Wash and Bar Soap Bundle — Fresh Falls exfoliating face wash |
| Hand Soap | Liquid Hand Soap 2-Pack — Crisp Citrus and Mountain Mint, 4 oz |
| Body Wash + Deodorant | Body Wash and Deodorant Gift Set — Pine Tar body wash 3-pack plus deodorant |
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer-advocacy and class-action news site, not a claims administrator or law firm. We participate in the Amazon Associates program, and the product links in the table above — including links to the Dr. Squatch products this settlement is about — are affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you buy through them. They are provided so readers can identify the product categories at issue, they do not reflect any view on the merits of the allegations, and buying through them has no effect on eligibility, since the class period has closed.
How Much Can You Get?
The benefit is $0.50 per product, and the two claim tiers stack:• Up to 5 products with no proof of purchase — $2.50
• Up to 20 products with proof of purchase — $10.00
• Combined maximum: 25 products, $12.50 per household
The notice's own worked example is a claimant who files for twenty units with proof and five without, for twenty-five units and $12.50.
That figure moves. If the total value of valid claims comes in under the settlement amount, the per-product benefit is adjusted upward pro rata; if claims exceed it, the benefit is reduced pro rata. So $0.50 is the starting point for a calculation, not a guaranteed amount, and the notice does not state a ceiling on the upward adjustment.
The $9,000,000 fund is not all available for payments. Class counsel may ask for attorneys' fees of up to one-third of the fund ($3,000,000), plus costs and expenses up to $50,000, service awards to the class representatives of up to $40,000 in total, and notice and administration costs estimated at $475,000. Those requests are subject to court approval at the final approval hearing.
What Proof Is Required?
Nothing at all for the first five products. Those are claimed on a signed attestation under penalty of perjury that you bought the products during the class period — no receipt, and no Claim ID from a mailed or emailed notice. The online claim form carries an explicit path for filers who do not have a Settlement Claim ID, so the ID is not a gate on filing.Proof only matters above five. To claim the additional twenty products, proof of purchase means a point-of-purchase receipt from a third-party retail source, physical or online, that reasonably establishes both the fact and the date of purchase during the class period. Filing for units above the no-proof tier without attaching proof reduces the claim rather than voiding it, and the administrator notifies claimants of a rejection and the reason for it.
One claim form per household, and a household is everyone living at the same physical address. Submitting false or fraudulent information causes the entire claim to be rejected, and claims are subject to audit and court review.
What Are the Deadlines?
• Claim deadline — November 27, 2026. Online submissions by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time; mailed forms postmarked by that date.• Opt-out deadline — October 13, 2026. An exclusion request must be signed and carry the class member's full name and address.
• Objection deadline — October 13, 2026.
• Final approval hearing — March 2, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Department 11, Los Angeles Superior Court. The notice warns the date may change and directs class members to the official settlement website to confirm it.
How Do You File?
File online through the official settlement website. The online form runs through claimant information, the number of products claimed with and without proof, and a certification step where you choose a payment method. Benefits are issued by check or by a range of digital payment options. A paper claim form is also available and can be mailed to the administrator, but it is the slower path and the online form is what the notice points to first.You do not need a Settlement Claim ID. If your contact information changes after you file, the official settlement website has a page for updating it — use that rather than assuming the administrator will find you.
What You Give Up
If you stay in the class and the settlement is approved, you release all claims relating to or arising from Dr. Squatch's use of the term "natural" on the products during the class period — claims that were alleged, and claims that could have been alleged, whether known or unknown. You also give up the right to sue separately or to be part of another lawsuit or arbitration over those issues.The release carves out one category: claims for personal injury damages or product liability relating to the products are not released. Anyone weighing that distinction for their own situation should speak with a lawyer rather than rely on a summary.
Opting out by October 13, 2026 preserves the right to sue individually but forfeits any settlement payment, and someone who opts out cannot also object.
What Happens Next?
The claim window runs to November 27, 2026, and the court takes up final approval on March 2, 2027. At that hearing the court decides whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, rules on any objections, and rules on the fee, cost and service-award requests. Attendance is not required, even for someone who objects in writing.If approval is granted, payments follow the settlement's Effective Date, which is the point at which the judgment becomes final and any appeal period has run. No payment date has been announced. The notice is explicit that no money is available now and that there is no guarantee benefits will ever be distributed.
This settlement lands in a run of consumer cases over what a "natural," "non-toxic" or ingredient claim on a front label promises, alongside the Gotham Steel and Granitestone cookware settlement over "toxin free" marketing, the Native "unscented" deodorant lawsuit, and the newer Gold Bond collagen lotion class action.
Class Action Summary
| Case Title | Guzman v. Dr. Squatch, LLC |
|---|---|
| Case Number | 25STCV03523 |
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles |
| Defendant | Dr. Squatch, LLC |
| Settlement Fund | $9,000,000 |
| Class Period | November 1, 2018 – August 29, 2026 (U.S. purchases) |
| Benefit | $0.50 per product · 5 with no proof ($2.50) · up to 25 total with proof ($12.50) |
| Claim Deadline | November 27, 2026 |
| Opt-Out / Object By | October 13, 2026 |
| Final Approval Hearing | March 2, 2027 at 10:00 AM PT |
| Class Counsel | Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman, P.C. and Reese LLP |
| Administrator | Postlethwaite & Netterville, an EisnerAmper company |
| Official Website | Personal Care Products Settlement.com |
Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website — Personal Care Products Settlement.com• Court-authorized Long Form Notice of Class Action Settlement
• Settlement website FAQ, online claim portal, printable Claim Form and Opt-Out Form
• Guzman v. Dr. Squatch, LLC, Case No. 25STCV03523 (Los Angeles Super. Ct.) — Settlement Agreement, including the Exhibit C list of Covered Products
Questions
How much is the Dr. Squatch settlement paying?
$0.50 per product. A household can claim up to 5 products with no proof of purchase, which is $2.50, and up to 20 more with proof, which is $10. The two tiers stack, so the maximum before any adjustment is 25 products for $12.50. The per-product amount rises or falls pro rata depending on how many valid claims come in.
Do I need receipts to file a Dr. Squatch claim?
No, not for the first five products. Those are claimed on your signed attestation alone, with no receipt and no ID from a notice. Proof of purchase is only needed to claim beyond five, up to a total of 25 products. Proof means a point-of-purchase receipt from a retailer that establishes the fact and date of purchase during the class period.
Which Dr. Squatch products are covered?
Every product Dr. Squatch sold or distributed, currently or in the past, that carries the word natural on its label. The notice lists 19 categories including bar soap, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, cologne, beard oil, hand soap, toothpaste, lip balm, face wash, lotion, shave butter, post shave and wipes. The complete list is Exhibit C to the settlement agreement.
Does buying Dr. Squatch now make me eligible?
No. The class period runs from November 1, 2018 through August 29, 2026 and has already closed. Only purchases made in the United States during that window count, and products bought for resale are excluded.
What counts as one "product"?
An individual item purchased. The claim form asks for the total number of products bought during the class period, split into the with-proof and without-proof tiers. A multi-pack contains more than one product, so a three-bar soap pack is worth more than a single bar even though it is one transaction.
Can more than one person in my house file?
No. Each household is limited to a single claim form and to the limits that apply to a single class member, and a household means everyone living at the same physical address.
When will Dr. Squatch settlement payments be sent?
No payment date has been announced. The court has not yet approved the settlement, and a final approval hearing is set for March 2, 2027. Payments would follow the settlement's Effective Date if approval is granted, and the notice states there is no guarantee money will ever be distributed.
Does this settlement release a personal injury claim?
No. The release is broad and covers claims arising from Dr. Squatch's use of the word "natural" on the products during the class period, including claims that could have been alleged but were not. It expressly does not release claims for personal injury damages or product liability relating to the products.
What happens if I do nothing?
You stay in the class and are bound by the settlement and the final judgment, so you give up the right to sue over the released claims — but you get no payment, because the payment requires a timely valid claim. Doing nothing is the one option with the downside of a release and none of the benefit.
