FDA Investigates Shampoo After Customers Lose Chunks of Hair

When someone buys a shampoo from an infomercial, they would never imagine that the product would do them any harm. Unfortunately, one shampoo has lead to chunks of hair loss for many consumers.

WFAA News8 in Dallas reported on this issue a year ago, and afterwards, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began investigating. The product under scrutiny is WEN Cleansing Conditioner.

A Dallas attorney stated that six women lost significant amounts of hair after using the shampoo, so they filed a lawsuit against Chaz Dean’s WEN Cleansing Conditioner in early 2015.

After 121 more official complaints rolled in to the FDA and over 21,000 accumulated toward Chaz Dean, Inc. and Guthy | Renker, LLC , the FDA announced that they would look into this issue. According to WFAA, conditions included, “hair loss, hair breakage, balding, itching, and rash.”

Chaz Dean, Inc. replied to WFAA News8’s request for a statement. They said, “The Wen by Chaz Dean family cares deeply about everyone’s hair health. We encourage people who inquire about any hair issues to seek qualified medical assistance because it is a complex topic. WEN® by Chaz Dean is safe, and millions of bottles have been sold over the last 16 years. We have consistently cooperated with the FDA and will continue to do so. We love our brand and our customers. Through this experience, we have learned that there is an immediate need for more education about hair health and common hair concerns in the industry, unrelated to Wen. There is no evidence that WEN products cause hair loss and the ingredients and formulations meet or exceed safety and quality standards set by the cosmetics industry. We stand behind them.”

While the product is under investigation, consumers will have to decide for themselves if the product will work for them or result in unwanted side effects.