St ives apricot scrub is America’s top facial scrub brand may be a staple in your shower caddy. It is used to clean, smooth, and illuminate skin which contains 100% natural exfoliants (like walnut shell powder) and apricot fruit extract leaving skin feeling super soft and smooth. But is apricot scrub good for the skin?

Unfortunately for consumers, use of St. Ives as a facial exfoliant leads to long-term skin damage that greatly outweighs any potential benefits the product may provide. St. Ives’ primary exfoliating ingredient is crushed walnut shell, which has jagged edges that cause micro-tears in the skin when used in a scrub.

It is extremely rough, perhaps too rough. Dermatologists disagree on how beneficial scrubs are generally, but St. Ives is intense even among scrubs, with chunks of walnut harder than your average (water-polluting) plastic micro bead. The problem [with scrubs] is that with over-zealous or too often use, they can irritate and cause more inflammation when you use it on active acne it can sometimes cause discoloration or scarring as you may traumatize already tender, inflamed acneic skin.”

A class action lawsuit recently filed claims that the popular scrub can damage skin and “is unfit to be sold or used as a facial scrub.

Kaylee Browning and Sarah Basile filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in central California against Unilever, the parent company of St. Ives. According to Top Class Actions, the plaintiffs claim the crushed walnut shells in the scrub can damage skin, and they balk at the use of “dermatologist tested” on the label. They allege that no dermatologist would recommend the scrub and believe the company should disclose that the scrub can cause microscopic tearing of the skin. They’re seeking $5 million.

In several stories about the lawsuit, Unilever declined to comment on the case and gave the same statement: “We can say that for over 30 years, consumers have loved and trusted the St. Ives brand to refresh and revitalize their skin. We are proud to be America’s top facial scrub brand and stand by our dermatologist tested formula.”