Celebrity stylist Chaz Dean and Guthy-Renker LLC, the manufacturers of WEN Cleansing Conditioner, proposed the settlement in June 2016.
If approved by a federal court judge, the settlement would provide a $25 cash payment to anyone who purchased WEN. It would also compensate people who suffered hair loss or permanent baldness up to $20,000.
The FDA has received 127 reports of hair breakage, hair loss, baldness, and itchy skin reaction to WEN. Inspectors discovered another 21,000 complaints that were never reported. Check out this photo:
Last year, hundreds of people joined a class action lawsuit accusing Chaz Dean and Guthy-Renker of ignoring thousands of complaints and continuing to sell hair-care products known to cause baldness.
Unlike most hair-care products, WEN Cleansing Conditioner is a “5-in-1” product that combines shampoo and conditioner without harsh chemicals.
Some say the problem is it contains virtually no cleanser and does not rinse out, so it is like using lotion to wash your hair.
Meanwhile, Guthy-Renker is lobbying Congress to reject the Personal Care Products Safety Act, a law that would require cosmetics-makers to tell the FDA about “serious” reactions to their products. Under the current law, they don’t have to report anything — even if someone dies.
Source: New York Times