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Olaplex is pulling its hair as a group of 28 women move forward with a new lawsuit against the manufacturers. Is it a sign of more Olaplex lawsuits on their way to the court?
The Olaplex hair loss lawsuit filed on February 9, 2023, in the U.S. District Court Central District of California alleged that the Olaplex products led to hair loss, bald spots, scalp irritation, brittle hair, and hair breakage. It demanded more than $75,000 in damages for all and to stop false advertising.
Followed by the L’Oreal Paris hair relaxer cancer lawsuit, now the Olaplex shampoo hair loss lawsuits are entering the center stage, drawing the attention of many. There are mixed reactions and comments from the users buzzing social media.
Any connection between Olaplex and hair loss? This blog is trying to analyze the allegations and how the course of Olaplex lawsuits in 2024 will be. Keep reading to know the latest Olaplex court case updates.
Tale of Olaplex in a Nutshell
Do you know, who owns Olaplex? Olaplex Holdings, INC., based in California, was founded by Dean and Darcy Christal. They started with the prime formula developed by the leading chemists Dr. Craig Hawker and Dr. Eric Pressly in 2014.
Later Advent International (Advent), a private equity firm, acquired around 80% of Olaplex shares in 2019.
Olaplex claim that their prime “patent-protected active ingredient, Bis-Aminopropyl Digylcol Dimaleate, changed haircare forever.”
Since its inception in 2014, Olaplex has slowly captured the market with its products centered on repairing damaged hair bonds caused by chemical treatments and coloring.
With the president and CEO JuE Wong’s operating strategies in digital and technological platforms, Olaplex’s growth bloomed multifold.
Olaplex used celebrities, influencers, and hair salon and spa workers to increase its market reach.
Advertised as the safest and most effective treatment option, Olaplex products have gained places on the shelves of Sephora and ULTA’s cosmetic stores and the hearts of celebrities.
It reaped an annual profit of around $600 million in 2021. However, these new Olaplex shampoo lawsuit allegations have brought a little dip in its sales recently.
Bloomberg’s public record request revealed that around 25 adverse event reports were made with the Food and Drug Administration.
Olaplex produces different types of products. Some of Olaplex hair products are listed below:
- Hair Perfector
- Intense Bond Building Hair Treatment
- Bond Maintenance Shampoo
- Bond Maintenance Conditioner
- Bond Smoother
- Bonding Oil
Some of the key ingredients found in Olaplex products are listed below:
Is Olaplex bad for your hair? The experiences of the plaintiffs who filed lawsuits against Olaplex affirm that.
Backdrop of Olaplex Lawsuits and Allegations
The first lawsuit on Olaplex for hair loss alleged that Olaplex’s No. 0 to No. 9 products were harmful and caused allergic reactions.
Attorneys Amy E. Davis, Esq., Steve Calamusa, Esq., and David E. Rosen, Esq., represent the 28 plaintiffs in their fight against the renowned cosmetic giant.
One of the plaintiffs complained that her once curly and wavy hair turned out to be frizzy and straight.
Some other plaintiffs claimed that the use of Olaplex products damaged their hair and made it “look unkept and as if it were cut with a weedwhacker.”
Does Olaplex cause hair loss? The plaintiffs affirm that the toxic ingredients in the Olaplex products cause hair loss.
The Olaplex hair loss lawsuit claims also accused Olaplex shampoo for hair loss and other issues, which had psychologically affected the plaintiffs, and its devastating effects were causing eating disorders and emotional distress.
The plaintiffs in the Olaplex lawsuit hair loss are as follows.
The lawsuit also asserted that Olaplex consisted of the hazardous fragrance component Lilial (also known as butylphenyl methylpropional). This fragrance ingredient has been officially classified as “reprotoxic,” which means harmful to reproduction and causes non-hereditary defects.
Lilial was proven to be causing infertility as well as negative impacts on the fetus in animals in a research study. Followed by this, in 2020, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety of the European Union (EU) demanded that by March 2022, the chemical should be completely removed from all hair and cosmetic products.
The lawsuit also purported that “lilial” found in Olaplex products might result in hair loss and scalp injuries, including “inflamed, blistered, flaking or scaling skin.”
Plaintiffs asserted that though the retailer Sephora had lilial removed from Olaplex’s list of ingredients in June 2021 itself, in reality, it was not removed by Olaplex until February 2022.
They also blamed Olaplex is still marketing its runoff products containing lilial rather than recalling them.
The products are suspected to be consisting of panthenol (Vitamin B5 form), which could cause dermatitis in some users.
The lawsuit alleged that the ingredients sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid in the Olaplex products together form benzene, which is a carcinogen. Many of the beauty care manufacturers have pulled their hair care products containing benzene from the market, but Olaplex still uses them.
The lawsuit contended that the non-water-soluble ingredients in the Olaplex products can blowback “clogged, inflamed, impacted and infected hair follicles.” The symptoms can be “red, itchy, inflamed, blistered, flaking or scaling skin,” leading to “extreme diffuse hair loss.”
In some serious cases, these “skin irritants and sensitizers” can stir up autoimmune diseases, claimed the lawsuit. The excess use of “plasticizing agents” such as glycol can weaken and damage hair follicles.
The lawsuit also asserted that the instructions to leave the toxic ingredients for long in the hair made the situation worse and exacerbated the injuries.
Many women who used the Olaplex products encountered the following Olaplex side effects.
Olaplex Lawsuit Updates
The volume of Olaplex hair loss shampoo lawsuits is growing steadily. As the latest Olaplex lawsuit cancer update, more than 70 plaintiffs have joined the ongoing lawsuit against Olaplex and making it an army of 100 plus plaintiffs. As per Business Insider, in a Facebook group, more than 3,000 Olaplex customers started discussing their adverse experiences like hair breakage and hair loss after using the Olaplex products. Many customers have claimed refunds from the company, and some got it.
The Albahae v. Olaplex Holdings case include plaintiffs from different places—12 from California and the rest from various other states and countries—using nine different products at different times.
The court decided to split these cases into individual ones following the motion filed by Olaplex to sever the Californian plaintiff claims, because the situations were too different to be considered together. The main reasons were that the incidents didn’t happen in the same way or involve the same products, and the issues claimed were too varied.
The court even suggested going further by potentially only allowing the first named plaintiff to proceed in this lawsuit, questioning why the others should remain. Essentially, this case is being significantly narrowed down, focusing on the specifics rather than treating it as a large group with common claims.
As of December 2023, no ruling has been made on these motions, and a trial date has not been set. Olaplex continues to refute the allegations, with a representative from the company asserting that there’s “no evidence that Olaplex products lead to hair loss or hair breakage.”
Does olaplex cause cancer? We are yet unsure as no plaintiff has come forward with any olaplex cancer lawsuit so far.
Will any Olaplex lawsuit cancer issues evolve in future as it contains benzene? Let’s wait and see for the course of the legal proceedings and Olaplex lawsuit outcome.
Olaplex’s Response
Olaplex’s CEO, JuE Wong, responded to the media after the lawsuit against Olaplex was filed. She stated that Olaplex products “do not cause hair loss or breakage” and that they are “safe and effective.”
She added that they are “prepared to vigorously defend our company, our brand, and our products against these baseless accusations.”
Earlier, the Olaplex shampoo and conditioner lawsuit alleged that Olaplex had not revealed the safety test results of their products, which raised suspicion.
Soon after the lawsuit allegations were made, Olaplex released the third-party test results on February 15, 2023. They added that they had “publicly released test results from independent third-party laboratories, going above and beyond industry standards, to demonstrate this.” They had confidence in the safety and efficiency of their products.
They claimed that there could be a variety of reasons for hair loss in people, and their product might not be the cause, while the plaintiffs are strong on their stand that it is Olaplex and not anything else that led to their suffering.
Online Turmoil on Olaplex Lawsuits
After the Olaplex lawsuit was filed, there were heated arguments that spread like wildfire on online platforms. Around 12,000 comments were made on the Olaplex products, both in support of and in opposition to their safety and efficacy.
The trend on social media shows mixed emotion, with approximately 70% blaming the product for the hair loss damages and roughly 30% supporting the products and asserting their safety. Those who supported Olaplex products also blamed the plaintiffs for possible hair damage caused by improper use.
Some even suggested that the Olaplex products, which are only intended for professional hair care salons and spas, should not have been sold in retail stores.
Some have expressed concern that lawsuits could tarnish the well-known brands of trust and fame that they have built over the years. These lawsuits can also stymie the conversion of new customers and have an impact on the brand’s reach and revenue.
Turning Point in Olaplex Lawsuits
As per the latest Olaplex lawsuit update 2023 on classaction.org, the Olaplex lawsuit dismissed by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner, which was filed by a group of women. Judge Klausner stated that the lawsuit could not be considered as an Olaplex class action lawsuit as the products used and injuries encountered by each plaintiff varied. The court dismissed the claims of all other plaintiffs except the lead plaintiff on July 11, 2023. The court asked her to file an amended version of the complaint. However, she voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit on July 24, 2023.
Will there be any class action lawsuit against Olaplex in the future? If many plaintiffs come forward with claims regarding their injuries, a class action lawsuit Olaplex may face in the future.
Do I have any chance to file or join an Olaplex lawsuit? Definitely! If you are harmed due to the adverse side effects of Olaplex products, you are eligible to file a lawsuit.
Was there any Olaplex Recall 2023?
Even though the lawsuits started appearing in 2022 itself, the makers did not initiate any Olaplex recall 2022 or afterwards. Despite being alleged of causing side effects and many adverse events reported, Olaplex is not in any plan to recall its product from the market. They are still available on online platforms and with retailers like retailers including Sephora, Amazon, and ULTA. Instead of making an Olaplex shampoo recall, they informed of removing the harmful ingredient from their products.
Which Olaplex was taken off the market?/ Which Olaplex is being recalled? Only the ingredient lilial is said to be removed from their products and not their product itself.
Liability in Olaplex Lawsuits
In the case of beauty products, the FDA has limitations in regulating them. The law does not require manufacturers to share formulae, testing reports, or adverse event reports with the FDA.
The responsibility solely lies on the cosmetic manufacturers to safeguard the customers from getting harmed by their products.
The Olaplex lawsuit holds the manufacturers and distributors liable on the following grounds.
- Breach of warranty
- Breach of implied warranty
- Violation of California consumer protection and false advertising laws
- Negligence/ gross negligence- dangerous design, failure to warn/instruct, and failure to test
- Product liability/strict product liability-design, warning/instruction, and test defects
Olaplex Holdings, INC. and Cosway CO., INC. designed and manufactured these famous hair care products. Olaplex marketed, sold, and distributed them. Thus, these tycoons are held accountable for the damages of the plaintiffs.
Let’s pay close watch to the legal happenings in this Olaplex lawsuit to know if it prompts more plaintiffs to join the bandwagon with more Olaplex lawsuits or if it will be canceled.
Stay tuned with us to know more about Olaplex lawsuits in future and any Olaplex settlements from the manufacturers.
Are you a consumer of Olaplex products? Have you used the products as per the instructions? Do you experience any hair-related issues? How to join Olaplex lawsuits?
Consult your hair care professional to know the cause of your health issues. In the case of Olaplex, behind the issues, get the help of an experienced attorney to know the legal chances of a claim.
Get the assistance of firms that analyze medical records to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a case during the medical record review process.
To wind up,
Every manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the safety of their products. Compromising the consumer’s safety over revenue will set fire to more outbursts in the form of legal consequences. Having blind faith in cosmetic products may lead to such devastating side effects as in the case of Olaplex consumers.
Having a thorough knowledge of the ingredients used and their side effects may protect you to some extent from being harmed.
We are unsure what is waiting for the first Olaplex lawsuit, as it is only the start.
Let’s wait and watch!
Stay tuned with us to know the possibility of Olaplex lawsuits and Olaplex lawsuit 2024 updates.
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