The WEN Cleansing Conditioner is used by million of men, women and children. Now it's the focus of an FDA safety alert and a class-action lawsuit.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert for WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner after it received 127 complaints of hair breakage, hair loss and balding - the largest number of reports the FDA has ever received about a shampoo or hair cleansing produce.
During their investigation, the FDA also found an additional 21,000 complaints that were submitted directly to Chaz Dean, Inc. or Gunthy Renker, the companies that market and manufacture the hair cleansing conditioner.
The product line includes several varieties of cleansing conditioners. However, Sweet Almond Mint has received the most reported reactions.
The company is also the focus of a class-action lawsuit. More than 200 women in 40 states have joined the legal action against the company.
In response to the FDA alert, the company released this statement:
“We have confidence in WEN® by Chaz Dean. We have no evidence that WEN, or any of the individual ingredients in WEN, causes hair loss. WEN is used by hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers, and all formulations of the product comply with applicable regulations wherever it is sold. We have consistently cooperated with the FDA with respect to any inquiries regarding WEN and we intend to continue to do so.” - Joe Hixson, WEN spokesman.
WEN products are still available for sale online and in stores. The FDA says it will continue its investigation and encourages anyone experiencing problems to stop using the product, contact a healthcare provider and inform the FDA.
The FDA can take action against cosmetics that don't comply with the law. However, with what they know so far, they say they are unable to determine that the product does not comply with the law.
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Lisa Benson can be reached at lisa.benson@kshb.com.
