Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Yet another class action is forming against Unilever, a personal care brand under fire for its use of a controversial preservative in its TRESemmé keratin shampoo.
Lead plaintiff Iris Arroyo alleges the company knowingly uses a chemical known as DMDM hydantoin in TRESemmé Smoothing and Keratin Smooth Color shampoos despite evidence showing it causes hair loss and scalp irritation and can react in a way as to form formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
Unilever “continued to conceal the dangers,” Arroyo says in the complaint, “by continuing to claim the Products were safe” and “failing to appropriately and fully recall” the keratin shampoo.
The class action lawsuit marks the third such action in the last two months against the keratin shampoo maker alleging the use of DMDM hydantoin.
In December, consumers from Illinois and Pennsylvania filed two separate class action lawsuits after using the keratin shampoo and reporting hair loss.
In both of those cases, plaintiffs allege a continued use of DMDM hydantoin by TRESemmé as a preservative in its keratin shampoos.
Arroyo and the other Class Members argue the use of DMDM hydantoin not only irritates the scalp but can also cause cancer, claiming the preservative slowly leaches formaldehyde over time.
Arroyo says Unilever has known about these issues since at least 2012 and that they settled a class action lawsuit that made similar claims against its Suave line of keratin shampoos for $10 million in 2016.
The complaint cites several studies, including one dating back to 1987, showing the risks surrounding DMDM hydantoin.
In 2015, according to the class action lawsuit, researchers found keratin shampoos stored over time at higher temperatures can “lead to more severe health concerns.”
“Reactions that generated formaldehyde occur silently as the products sit on shelves in stores or bathroom cabinets,” Arroyo claims.
Unilever uses these chemicals to keep the keratin shampoo from spoiling, Arroyo explains, despite alternatives being available.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists DMDM as one of the top allergens used in cosmetic products. the chemical was ranked the 21st most common allergen by the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology in 2010, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Arroyo further cites the FDA in the complaint, saying the agency found DMDM hydantoin can “‘trigger the immune system to release chemical substances such as antibodies,’ resulting in reactions such as itchiness, red rashes on the skin, or more extreme reactions.”
TRESemmé Keratin Smooth shampoo is “dangerous and unsafe for sale as over-the-counter hair smoothing shampoo products,” Arroyo says.
Formally, Arroyo is accusing Unilever of violating New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act, of breaching warranties and contract and of unjust enrichment.
Do you use TRESemmé keratin shampoo? Have you experienced any hair loss or scalp irritation from using the products? Let us know in the comments below.
Counsel representing the plaintiffs in the keratin shampoo class action lawsuit are Jonathan Shub and Kevin Laukaitis of Shub Law Firm LLC; Andrew J. Sciolla of Sciolla Law Firm LLC; Daniel K. Bryson, Harper T. Segui and Caroline Ramsey Taylor of Whitfield Bryson LLP; and Melissa R. Emert and Gary S. Graifman of Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman PC.
The Keratin Shampoo Class Action Lawsuit is Arroyo, et al. v. Unilever United States Inc., et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-00302, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
1,376 thoughts onTRESemmé Keratin Shampoo Maker Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Preservative
Yes I’m disperate i did all test and my hormonas are ok.. and I’m looking milliions of hair … I’m depresse and worries what can i do to stop this
I also bought this same shampoo and conditioner and after a month, I had to stop using it because my scalp was red and sore and I had super thi
I didn’t get to finish, so I left off with thick long hair that began falling out in clumps, leaving handfuls of hair in my shower drain and even more handfuls as I’d brush it. Every morning I woke up to hair clumps on my pillows, plus it was also breaking off very short in spots. Since I stopped using the product, my condition is better, but it’s still very thick n on one sid, where I lost the most hair, and it’s several different lengths because the breakage left it very short in spots. I don’t know if it will ever get evened back out or I’ll get the thickness back, but I am kinda known for my hair and I now am embarrassed by it!! Thanks Tresemme, no beauty shop can fix the damage your product has done!!
I hope someone will contact me about this and answer a few questions I have and see if I qualify for this lawsuit. I have before and after pictures, pictures of the clumps of hair and to this day, I’ve saved the unused portion just in case there became a lawsuit against them because I was sure this happened to more people then just me. I’ve been working in Cosmetology and the beauty industry my whole life and have never seen a shampoo or conditioner do this much damage, ever!!
I hope someone will contact me about this and answer a few questions I have and see if I qualify for this lawsuit. I have before and after pictures, pictures of the clumps of hair and to this day, I’ve saved the unused portion just in case there became a lawsuit against them because I was sure this happened to more people then just me. I’ve been working in Cosmetology and the beauty industry my whole life
I hope someone will contact me about this, so I can see if I qualify for the lawsuit, I still have pictures and other things to prove it.
Ive had an itchy rash on the upper part of my back for quite some time. And my arms have itched as well, I have scarring due to the extreme itching. As well as my hair thinning and last year had to have a spot on my face lanced bcuz of some unknown infection. . Í have pictures of both infection on my face & rash on my back. And u can see my scalp where my fair has gotten so thin. I’ve never had acne & my hair dresser can attest to the once thickness of my hair. These events have been devastating to me and my vain ego. My self esteem has been shattered. I’m so relieved to finally figure out that I was right in believing it was my shampoo and changing shampoos. Since my rash has went away and my arms are no longer itchy and my face had stopped breaking out. My hair is so thin still!!! My question is.. is the effects of hair loss permanent or will my hair ever grow back? I hope someone will contact me with an answer to this question and perhaps answers to questions I have about this lawsuit.
I too started using this shampoo and conditioner a month ago and my hair is falling out in clumps and now have bald spots plus my head is itchy please add me to the list
I hardly have any hair anymore. And I already had thin hair as a child. So I shampoo my hair every day. Makes me sad. And now I worry about cancer and God knows what else just from washing my hair
Would like to join this class action. As I’ve been using this product for years and my hair has been falling out and this explains it
How do I join the Tresemme Class Action I started losing my hair it is falling out in clumps and my head is burning ? i had an extremely thick head of hair I lost over 50% already in the last 2 weeks. I am going to the doctor and made a Dermatologist appointment I just realized this is the shampoo I have been using and I am from New Jersey .
My hair fell out, I received a rash all over my body, and my scalp, and I had itchiness all over my head and body! Please include me in the settlement!
My hair has fallen out in the last few years since using Tresemme shampoo and conditioner. You can see three fourths of scalp only. Please add me to the list
I also used this product and since then i have been diagnosed with skin cancer in my head, and my hair was falling out stopped using it about a year ago.