Woolworths, Big W and Coles product discontinued in Australia

A popular product has disappeared from Australian shelves after it was alleged its packaging was misleading, leaving many frustrated.

A popular cleaning brand has been pulled from Australian shelves after the brand settled a class action overseas for allegedly falsely labelling its products as “non-toxic”.

Method cleaning products have been discontinued and are no longer available to buy in Woolworths, Coles or Big W.

It comes after the brand, owned by SC Johnson & Son, settled a $US2.25m (approximately $AU3.5m) settlement in the US after it was accused of mislabelling Method products as “natural” and “non-toxic”.

But the disappearance of the brand from Aussie shelves has left a string of users disappointed, with many taking to social media claiming they “don’t care” about the alleged misrepresentation.

Method cleaning products have been pulled from Coles, Woolies and Big W shelves. Picture: Supplied

“I love Method, I don’t care about them being or not being natural. I just like how they smell,” one raged on TikTok.

“I really hope they rebrand as super not natural, very chemically, because the almond floor cleaner is unmatched,” another stated.

“The smell of that pink one was like chef’s kiss to me,” one added.

Others speculated the claims were “probably why the products worked”, as others called for the brand to “come back”.

“Method Laundry liquid is no longer on the shelves at the local supermarkets. I’m so sad. I don’t feel I am coping with this abrupt break-up. I mean, I didn’t even see it was coming,’ one woman said on the Mums Who Clean Facebook page.

“I’m exactly the same with their after shower spray, I was NOT prepared,” a second added.

The bottles had cheeky messages written on the bottom. Picture: TikTok

However, there were many who stated they had a negative reaction when using the products.

“So glad I stopped using this stuff! Would make my hands itchy and tingle,” one claimed on Facebook.

“We used this in our rental for floors and bench tops... it stripped the clear coat off everything! We didn’t believe it was the cleaner for a moment because it was ‘non toxic’,” another added.

Woolworths and Coles have confirmed to news.com.au the products are no longer on sale, with SC Johnson & Son explaining Method was “no longer being sold nationally”.

“We ceased distribution of method in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 due to supply chain issues, which affected our ability to maintain adequate supply across all product items,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.

“We took this action in other markets in south Asia and will continue to evaluate the supply situation in these markets for future consideration.”

Many Aussies are bitterly disappointed, but report seeing products still for sale in the Reject Shop. Picture: Facebook

Overseas, the packaging has been updated. Picture: Supplied

Method products, are still sold across North America and Europe, gained popularity among Aussie customers for its cheeky messaging.

On the base of its bottles read several tongue-in-cheek phrases, including: “Let’s clean naked, baby” and “Stop staring at my bottom”.

It appears the brand has overhauled its packaging after allegations it was misleading, which were first raised in 2020.

On its popular pink grapefruit multipurpose cleaner the words “non-toxic” no longer appear on bottles.

While you can no longer buy Method in Coles, Woolworths or Big W, shoppers have claimed items are still available in The Reject Shop and some IGA stores.

Originally published as Woolworths, Big W and Coles product discontinued in Australia