FDA Investigates Wen Hair Care Products

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Wen Hair Care products and their distributor, Guehy-Renker, for allegedly causing hair loss (alopecia). More than 21,000 complaints have been received against Wen, sold by Hollywood hairstylist Chaz Dean. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating claims ranging from bald spots to complete baldness by consumers who have used Wen hair care products.

Several members of Congress are working to increase the power the FDA has to test ingredients in beauty products and recall those products they deem unsafe. The multi-billion dollar cosmetics industry is largely unregulated at this time.

A consumer found that her scalp tingled when the Wen hair product was applied. She then found when she brushed her hair that it came out in clumps and bald spots appeared on her scalp. The mother-of-two remarked that her scalp would itch, and when she scratched it, the hair would come out from the root.

The consumer learned that other women across the country were having the same adverse reactions when using Wen hair care products when she saw a report in December 2015 on News Channel 8.

When celebrities such as Alyssa Milano, Brooke Shields, and Angie Harmon, endorse Wen products by appearing in televised infomercials, the public tends to believe that the product is safe and effective

Bobbi Russell,a certified clinical trichologist from Hair Therapy for Women in Tampa, Florida, said that it is a positive step that Congress is trying to get tougher laws passed to give the FDA more authority to issue mandatory recalls on products found to be unsafe.

Ms. Russell hopes that consumers will become more informed about the products they use daily and the effects those products have on their bodies. Skin is the largest organ of the body and consumers need to know exactly what is being put on the skin and in the case of Wen, on the hair and scalp.