Unilever makes the TRESemmé hair products, including a TRESemmé Keratin Hair Smoothing Shampoo and a TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo. Consumers might imagine that a “smooth” or “smoothing” hair product is gentle and repairing, but the complaint for this class action alleges that the products contain ingredients that “cause[] significant hair loss and/or scalp irritation…”
Three classes have been defined for this class action:
- The National Class is all persons in the US who bought the products.
- The Consumer Fraud Multi-State Class is all persons in the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Washington who bought the products.
- The Illinois Class is all persons in Illinois who bought the products.
The parties being sued in this case over the TRESemmé hair products are Unilever United States, Inc. and Conopco, Inc., which does business under the name of Unilever Home & Personal Care USA.
Keratin is a protein that is natural to hair. The complaint quotes the marketing for the products as saying that “the Products contain a keratin formula intended to smooth hair, add softness and shine, and prevent frizzing and tangling” and that they “deeply nourish,” “gently cleanse,” and “repair hair.”
But the shampoos contain other ingredients that are not advertised to consumers. According to the complaint, they contain DMDM hydantoin, which is “a formaldehyde donor known to slowly leach formaldehyde when coming into contact with water. Formaldehyde is a well-known human carcinogen that can cause cancer and other harmful reactions when absorbed into skin.” The complaint reproduces an ingredient panel to show that DMDM hydantoin is indeed listed as present.
Why then does Unilever use this substance? The complaint contends that it “has been used [as] a preservative in Unilever products for more than a decade,” but that this is not necessary “because various safer natural alternatives exist.” Because of this, the complaint says, the use of DMDM hydantoin makes the shampoos “dangerous and unsafe for sale as over-the-counter hair smoothing shampoo products.”
The complaint quotes online postings from consumers who experienced hair loss and damage after using the products.
The complaint alleges that Unilever was previously sued over the use of DMDM hydantoin and other ingredients in 2012. It claims that Unilever recalled is Suave Keratin product that same year, “following complaints that the product[] caused hair loss and scalp irritation, and were advertised as formaldehyde free, while containing DMDM hydantoin.”
The counts include fraud and breaches of warranties, among other things.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
TRESemmé Keratin Shampoos Hair Loss and Damage Complaint
November 16, 2020
Unilever makes the TRESemmé hair products, including a TRESemmé Keratin Hair Smoothing Shampoo and a TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo. Consumers might imagine that a “smooth” or “smoothing” hair product is gentle and repairing, but the complaint for this class action alleges that the products contain ingredients that “cause[] significant hair loss and/or scalp irritation…”
TRESemmé Keratin Shampoos Hair Loss and Damage ComplaintCase Event History
TRESemmé Keratin Shampoos Hair Loss and Damage Complaint
November 16, 2020
Unilever makes the TRESemmé hair products, including a TRESemmé Keratin Hair Smoothing Shampoo and a TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo. Consumers might imagine that a “smooth” or “smoothing” hair product is gentle and repairing, but the complaint for this class action alleges that the products contain ingredients that “cause[] significant hair loss and/or scalp irritation…”
TRESemmé Keratin Shampoos Hair Loss and Damage Complaint