Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
After hundreds of complaints from consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a safety alert regarding the line of cleansing hair conditioners by Wen. These products are already part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit from 2014 over claims that it may cause hair loss.
127 incidents of adverse effects caused by the WEN products were reported to the FDA. Included in these reports were incidents of hair loss and breakage, balding, itching and rashes. The number of FDA complaints represents the largest number of reports ever associated with any cosmetic hair product. The FDA is also investigating an additional 21,000 complaints that were made directly to the WEN hair product manufacturer after the FDA discovered these complaints during an inspection.
The FDA has not yet determined a possible cause for the adverse events that have been reported, and today has called on the company to “provide any data that might help us to better understand the reports of hair loss associated with the use of WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner products.” The FDA also has reached out to physicians and other health care providers asking them to notify their patients of hair loss and other complaints associated with the use of these products and to report adverse events to the agency.
The FDA recommends consumers who have experienced adverse reactions to stop using the product and to seek advice from their health care provider.
A spokesperson for the WEN hair product manufacturer says that its products “meet or exceed safety and quality standards set by the cosmetics industry” and that there “is no evidence that WEN products cause hair loss.”
Although the exact cause of the adverse effects remain unknown, WEN products use two ingredients – methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone – that have been linked to skin, eye, and lung irritation. Our law firm continues to investigate WEN lawsuits from across the country. If you or a loved one suffered adverse effects from using WEN hair products, contact our office immediately.