More than 200 women in 40 states have joined a class-action lawsuit against WEN hair care products sold on TV by hair stylist Chaz Dean and infomercial company Guthy-Renker, sources reported this week.
According to The Daily Beast, the primary case filed in California Federal Court centers around nurse practitioner Amy Friedman, who claimed the Sweet Almond Mint kit led to her "losing substantial and abnormal amounts of hair" until all that was left was "one quarter to one third" of the hair on her head.
While WEN has gained a cult following for its self-professed ability to "take the place of your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler, and leave-in conditioner," the products have also generated hundreds of negative online reviews.
"I was a professional model with beautiful long natural hair. After using this product my scalp and face broke out in boils and my hair fell out in chunks," one user wrote. "This shampoo destroyed my life."
The lawsuit specifically alleges that "the WEN products at issue contain a caustic ingredient that causes a chemical reaction and damages hair and follicles," and "numerous harsh chemicals and known human allergens."
Guthy-Renker denied the allegations in a public statement, saying, "Importantly, there is no scientific evidence to support any claim that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair. There are many reasons why individuals may lose their hair, all unrelated to WEN hair products. We intend to vigorously contest the allegations made against our products. And, we encourage any customer with any questions to contact us."
For now, the two parties of the lawsuit are headed to mediation.
Complicating allegations about "caustic" ingredients is the fact that slightly different formulas are sold across multiple distribution channels.
The Daily Beast reported that "official" WEN products are sold on ChazDean.com, Guthy-Renker, Sephora, and QVC. Some online reviewers noted that they loved the product when purchased from one of the official channels, but had negative experiences with bottles ordered from Amazon.
It's possible that some, if not many, of the complaints were linked to a knock-off product, or that the true WEN hair products are OK for some types of hair and scalps but not OK for others.
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