WEN is a line of high-end hair products that sell on average for $30 a bottle. Photo courtesy of Buzzfeed.
Summary: Hundreds of women have sued celebrity hair product WEN, claiming it causes hair loss.
Hundreds of women have joined a class action lawsuit against celebrity hair care line WEN. They allege the product causes shocking hair loss, making them the bald not the beautiful—something they obviously didn’t want. The lawsuit was filed this year in Dallas, and so far 200 women have signed on.
Actress Brooke Shields endorses WEN for her friend, hair stylist Chaz Dean. Photo courtesy of Instagram.
Celebrities like Brooke Shields, Alyssa Milano, and Ming-Na Wen endorse the line created by Los Angeles celebrity hairstylist Chaz Dean. Dean works with infomercial giant Guthy-Renker to sell the product, and both parties are named in the suit. The high priced line is promoted through infomercials on QVC. It is also sold on Amazon and Sephora.
Buzzfeed reported that the brand has lathered up over $100 million in sales.
Although there are numerous positive reviews online, there are also a flurry of complaints, claiming that the WEN shampoos and conditioners caused pain, scalp irritation, rashes, and hair loss. The lawsuit alleges that WEN knew about the product’s defect because women spoke out about the problem long ago online.
On social media, women have posted proof of their hair loss caused by WEN. Photo courtesy of Buzzfeed.
Susan Browning of Dallas told CBS 11 that she bought the product to add body to her thin hair. Instead, WEN products allegedly ruined her mane.
“In the shower when I squeezed the water out of my hair, I’d have handfuls of hair coming out,” she said.
WEN denies any wrongdoing. It says it has shipped over 10 million products since 2008, and that the anecdotes of the women is not actual proof of the product’s faultiness.
“There is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support any claim that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair,” WEN said in a statement. “There are many reasons why individuals may lose their hair, all unrelated to WEN hair care products. We will vigorously contest the allegations made against our products.”
In March of this year, the plaintiffs’ lead counsel, Amy Davis of Dallas, told ABC that they would be hiring a chemist to test the products. At the time, only six women were suing the brand. Now the total is 200, and the women hail from 40 states. Some women are representing their children, who lost their hair.
In the meantime, the parties are negotiating a possible settlement.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawsuit-celebrity-hair-product-causes-hair-loss/
Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/wen-hair-loss#.jxV5bAlAm