Case Information:

Cae Name: Ruiz v. Gold Bond Co LLC

Case No. 1:26-cv-07328

Jurisdiction United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

File Date 08/27/26

Class Definition All persons in the United States, including a New York subclass, who purchased Gold Bond Plumping Collagen Body & Face Serum Lotion during the applicable statute of limitations period.

Summary

According to the complaint, Gold Bond Co LLC is accused of deceptively marketing its “Gold Bond Plumping Collagen Body & Face Serum Lotion” by prominently featuring the word “Collagen” in the product name and front label even though the product allegedly contains no collagen. The lawsuit alleges that, instead of collagen, the lotion contains a synthetic peptide called “Tripeptide-29 (Collagen Amino Acids),” which is not collagen and does not correct the allegedly misleading impression that the product includes collagen.

Plaintiff Diane Ruiz claims that reasonable consumers paid a price premium based on the belief that the lotion contained collagen and provided associated benefits, and that she and other purchasers would not have bought it, or would have paid less, had they known no collagen was present. The complaint seeks damages, restitution, and other relief on behalf of a nationwide class and a New York subclass under state consumer protection statutes, common law fraud and negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and breach of express warranty.

Allegations

The product at issue is Gold Bond Plumping Collagen Body & Face Serum Lotion, sold in 2 oz., 4.3 oz., and 8 oz. sizes and marketed throughout the United States, including in New York. The lotion is allegedly sold through major retailers such as Amazon, CVS, Walmart, and Target, as well as other outlets. The lawsuit contends that Gold Bond emphasizes the word “COLLAGEN” as part of the product name on the front packaging and in social media advertising, allegedly seeking to capitalize on strong consumer interest in collagen as a skincare ingredient.

The complaint asserts that consumers reasonably understand ingredient-focused statements on the front of packaging to mean that the product actually contains the highlighted ingredient. In this case, the word “Collagen” in the product name and front label allegedly leads consumers to believe that the lotion contains collagen, a structural protein made up of long chains of amino acids and commonly associated with skin support and plumping benefits. The lawsuit alleges that collagen has become a highly sought-after skincare ingredient, that consumers frequently search for and select products based on the presence of collagen, and that Gold Bond intentionally used the collagen representation to attract these consumers and justify a higher price.

However, the complaint alleges that the lotion does not contain collagen at all. Instead, the ingredient list identifies “Tripeptide-29 (Collagen Amino Acids).” Relying on a cosmetic ingredient database, the lawsuit describes Tripeptide-29 as a synthetic peptide composed of three amino acids: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. The complaint explains that peptides are short chains of amino acids, while collagen is made up of much longer chains. Although Tripeptide-29 contains three amino acids that can also be found in collagen, the lawsuit contends that this overlap does not make Tripeptide-29 collagen.

The complaint further alleges that labeling the ingredient as “Tripeptide-29 (Collagen Amino Acids)” does not correct the allegedly misleading impression created by the product’s name and front label. Instead, the lawsuit claims that this phrasing may reinforce the belief that the lotion contains actual collagen or collagen-derived components, when in fact it allegedly does not. Despite this, Gold Bond is alleged to continue to highlight “COLLAGEN” prominently in the product name, packaging, and marketing, while selling a lotion that lacks collagen.

Plaintiff Diane Ruiz is described in the complaint as a resident of Bronx County, New York. She alleges that she purchased the Gold Bond Plumping Collagen Body & Face Serum Lotion in or around May 2026 at a Dollar General store in Bronx, New York. The complaint states that she saw and relied on the collagen representation on the front label and believed she was purchasing a lotion that contained collagen. She claims that she would not have purchased the product, or would have paid significantly less, if she had known that it did not contain collagen. The lawsuit alleges that Ruiz and other consumers paid a price premium and suffered economic injury as a result of the product’s labeling and advertising.