Johnson & Johnson OGX Shampoo Makes Your Hair Fall Out, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges

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UPDATE 2: 

• This case was dismissed March 23, 2022. 

UPDATE: 

• The OGX shampoo lawsuit has been making its way through the court with the plaintiff filing an amended complaint recently. 
• The class action lawsuit seeks to represent consumers who purchased various OGX hair products, including OGX Biotin+ Collagen Shampoo or Conditioner, OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo or Conditioner, Extra Strength Hydrate & Repair and Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo or Conditioner, OGX Ever Straightening and Brazilian Keratin Therapy Shampoo or Conditioner, OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo or Conditioner, along with others. 

The OGX-brand shampoos and conditioners marketed by Johnson & Johnson to nourish and smooth your hair actually contain a combination of ingredients that cause significant hair loss, a new nationwide class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Larissa Whipple filed the class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Monday in an Illinois federal court, alleging violations of state and federal laws.

Whipple says she bought OGX shampoo and conditioner because of Johnson & Johnson’s “false representation” that they would smooth, nourish, soften, repair, and revive her hair. 

What wasn’t disclosed is that OGX hair products also include an ingredient or combination of ingredients that causes significant hair loss and scalp irritation upon proper application, she says.

“At least one ingredient in the Products, DMDM hydantoin, is a formaldehyde donor known to slowly leach formaldehyde when coming into contact with water,” Whipple says.

“Formaldehyde is a well-known human carcinogen that can cause cancer and other harmful reactions when absorbed into skin.”

The OGX products class action lawsuit says DMDM hydantoin has been used as a preservative in Johnson & Johnson products for well over a decade. However, it says the use of DMDM hydantoin as a preservative creates an unnecessary risk, because safer natural alternatives exist. 

“As such, the Products are rendered dangerous and unsafe for sale as over-the-counter hair smoothing shampoo products,” says the OGX shampoo lawsuit. 

Whipple says Johnson & Johnson failed to properly warn consumers of the dangers associated with using such a strong ingredient on their hair and scalp, even though it knew the risks.

“Defendant continued to conceal the dangers of the Products by failing to appropriately and fully recall the Products, by continuing to claim the Products were safe when properly applied, and by failing to warn consumers of the dangers attendant to the Products’ use,” alleges the OGX shampoo class action.

The plaintiff says, instead, Johnson & Johnson says OGX hair products contain special formulas intended to nourish and revive damaged or dry hair. She says she and thousands of other customers have experienced hair loss and scalp irritation as a result of the false misrepresentations.

Whipple is seeking to represent anyone in the United States who bought OGX shampoo and conditioner products, plus a consumer fraud multistate subclass and an Illinois Subclass.

She is suing for violation of state consumer fraud acts, Illinois consumer laws and unjust enrichment and seeking certification of the class action, damages, restitution, an injunction, a recall of all the OGX hair products and a jury trial. 

American multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson is a household name, known for developing numerous consumer products, medical devices and pharmaceutical items that frequent the shelves of department stores. Many of the company’s products have been reported by consumers as being faulty or hazardous, leading to a range of class actions lawsuits being filed.

Johnson and Johnson is not the only company who has been targeted with such class action lawsuits. In June, a Unilever class action lawsuit was filed for similar hazardous products issues with its Suave haircare products. A class action lawsuit was also filed against Mane ‘n Tail products for ingredients which allegedly led to scalp irritation and other problems. 

To learn more about the latest Johnson and Johnson class action lawsuit updates, click here.

Have you used OGX hair products? Let us know your experience in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Jonathan Shub and Kevin Laukaitis of Shub Law Firm LLC.

The OGX Shampoo Class Action Lawsuit is Whipple et al., v, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Case No. 3:21-cv-50226, in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois.

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