Company vows to “vigorously defend” itself against the lawsuit brought by 28 women who say Olaplex products ruined their hair.
About 30 women are suing the Olaplex hair-care company, claiming its products caused their hair to fall out, bald spots to form, and skin rashes and other conditions to crop up.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California on Feb. 9, claims that the women used Olaplex to help protect and restore their hair, but that it only caused damage.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Olaplex denied the claims and maintained that its products are safe and effective.
Here’s what you need to know about the lawsuit:
Olaplex’s products ‘alone to blame,’ suit claims
The 28 women who filed the lawsuit met each other in a Facebook group started as a way to commiserate about their hair and to brainstorm about what they could do about it, one of their attorneys, Amy Davis, told USA TODAY on Wednesday.
The women reported extensive damage to their hair after regularly using Olaplex, including:
- Hair loss, sometimes covering half the head, and including bald spots
- Dry, brittle, frizzy and dull hair
- Split and broken hair, making it appear “as if it were cut with a weedwhacker”
- Scalp injuries, including extreme itchiness, rash, yeast infection, bacterial infection, open sores, burning and sensitivity
When the women stopped using Olaplex, their hair conditions immediately improved, Davis said.
“The products alone are to blame,” the lawsuit says.
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What does Olaplex say?
The California-based company said in a statement to USA TODAY that its products “do not cause hair loss or hair breakage.”
“We have publicly released test results from independent third-party laboratories, going above and beyond industry standards, to demonstrate this,” the statement said. “We have full confidence and believe in the safety and efficacy of our products.”
The company went on to say that “there are a wide variety of reasons for hair breakage or hair loss,” including lifestyle, medical conditions and medications.
“Complaints like the ones referenced in this article are, sadly, a fact of life in our industry, and have been made against other brands in the category for years,” the statement said. “We are prepared to vigorously defend our company, our brand, and our products against these baseless accusations.”
One of Olpalex’s products, No. 7 bonding oil, has an average of four and a half stars out of nearly 37,000 reviews on Amazon. Of those, about 1,100 were one- and two-star reviews, with many of those users complaining that the product damaged their hair.
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Damages sought
Davis criticized the studies referenced by Olaplex, saying companies are able to declare their products safe after conducting tests using very little of the product on hair.
“It’s kind of like if you put a drop of the product in the ocean,” she said. “Of course no one is going to have a response.”
She said her clients hope the company changes its formulas as a result of the lawsuit.
Davis cited similar litigation filed against WEN by Chaz Dean, a celebrity stylist. That class-action lawsuit was settled for $26 million, which Davis said prompted the company to reformulate its products.
“WEN had received over 25,000 complaints from consumers and did nothing,” she said. “(Companies) do not make changes unless they’re forced to and they’re only forced to when it hits their wallet.”
WEN by Chaz Dean has said that it was a business decision to settle the litigation and move forward, and maintains that its products are safe.
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As for the Olaplex plaintiffs, Davis said they deserve to be compensated not just for hair damage.
“There’s been a lot of studies done on psychological impact of hair loss, especially on women,” she said. “It’s so much more than hair. It’s a symbol of our youth, a symbol of our health, it’s a symbol of our sexuality and our personality and beauty … These women have been emotionally damaged.”
