Walmart found itself in hot water in 2015 when it was revealed that they had mislabeled their products as “Made in the USA.” Many consumers were upset with this realization, as some choose to purchase only American-made products and feel that this was false advertising. The two main items caught up in this controversy were Equate products, part of Walmart’s own line of beauty and healthcare products. Equate makeup sponges had a label that read “Made in the USA,” despite also having another clear label reading “Made in China.” The Equate 7-Day Whitening Wraps were also listed as being made in the United States, despite the Walmart website saying that the product had been imported.
Walmart responded by saying that it had only been recently that manufacturing for the products involved was moved to the United States, and that some stores may have simply still had the older versions in stock. Products beyond just the store’s own brand were being mislabeled in the store and on the website. Almay eyeliner says right on the packaging that it is from Germany, but Walmart still gave it the “Made in the USA” tag. A representative for Walmart followed up by saying that they are simply working to improve the accuracy of listings on their website, and that the mistakes only applied to a few select items.