Michael A. Kakuk  |  February 1, 2016

Category: Consumer News

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just for menA class action lawsuit filed on Jan 25 accuses Just for Men hair dye maker Combe, Inc., and other Combe companies, of deceptive advertising.  The complaint alleges that Just for Men brand hair dye does not properly warn consumers about its ingredients and the potential side effects of those ingredients, such as chemical burns and severe allergic reactions.

“Even if used as directed, [the Just for Men] Defendants failed to adequately warn against the negative effects and risks associated with this product,” such as “burns, scarring, allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock, skin depigmentation, and other severe injuries” associated with prolonged use, according to the complaint.

The Just for Men burning hair dye class action lawsuit points to the chemical ingredient p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) as especially harmful.  The complaint states that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has linked PPD to “severe dermatitis,” “renal failure,” “vitiligo” (which is loss of skin pigment), and even “convulsions and comas.” The complaint claims PPD is also considered a “strong sensitizer” by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and was once named “allergen of the year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

“Defendants knew or should have known that more than 5% of the population will have an adverse reaction to PPD, yet, Defendants concealed and withheld this information from the public,” the Just for Men class action asserts.  The class action lawsuit goes on to state that the risk of adverse reaction to PPD is higher for African Americans, up to 10% or 21% based on different studies.

Plaintiff Ronald Povich states that he purchased and used Just for Men hair dye in August of 2014, based on the Combe defendants’ claims that the product was safe. He seeks to represent a class of all Missouri residents who purchased Just for Men hair dye for personal use, and asks for damages for violations of Missouri unfair trade practice laws.

The Just for Men hair dye class action lawsuit also alleges the Combe defendants violate Missouri consumer protection laws by failing to warn of the increased risk of multiple uses of the hair dye, and for recommending an improper and ineffective skin test before use.

According to the class action complaint, federal law requires Just for Men to give instructions on how to test the hair dye, and that “Defendants recommend a self-applied ‘skin patch test’ on a consumer’s arm prior to use.”

However, the Just For Men class action lawsuit states that “Defendants recommend this test despite knowing that facial skin is more sensitive and may react differently than the arm or other parts of the body.” Furthermore, the “universal standard” for allergic tests is having a dermatologist do a “patch test” on a person’s back, which the Just for Men defendants fail to recommend, the class action alleges.

Povich is represented by John J. Driscoll and Philip Sholtz of The Driscoll Firm, PC, and Richard W. Schulte of Wright & Schulte, LLC.

The Just For Men Burning Hair Dye Class Action Lawsuit is Ronald Povich v. Combe Incorporated, et al., Case No. 4:16-cv-00097, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

UPDATE July 25, 2016: Consumers urge judge to deny motion for dismissal of the Just For Men Burning Hair Dye class action lawsuit.

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26 thoughts onJust For Men Hit With ‘Burning’ Hair Dye Class Action Lawsuit

  1. robert boehnlein says:

    I used it too and am suffering blisters and pain in the lip and lower jaw area. Very bad product. I can’t believe it is still available.

  2. JEFFERY R BROOKS says:

    Dear.Judge and to the Driscoll firm…thank you for all you have done and still doing….The combe inc. have mess alot of mens up and i’am one of them.. my head in mess up so bad the top and back of my head and the back of my neck that i stay in most of the time..and when i go out i have to ware a cap.. but i know you guys will take this as if it was you or one of your family member..please make them PAY for putting us in a dark place…i know the lord got everything on record and we all know…RIGHT IS RIGHT….

  3. Brian Ellison says:

    Wow! I used it years ago and had a spot on my scalp that was on fire for over a year. No one could tell me what the cause was. During that time I actually started losing my hair. I went to Hair Club for men any had a transplant. All for nothing i now have lost the pigmentation on my scalp and all my hair on top. I just shave my head now. It was probably the most embarrassing time of my life. Needless to say I’m the only Bald guy in my family!

  4. Richard Depue says:

    I had a reaction where all my grew and I applied dye my skin got severely itchy and red. I had to go to the doctor do get meds which only temporary relief was achieved. My face still has blotchy red patches all over my face.

  5. hans vogt says:

    I HAVE , AND HAD MUCH WORSE SCALP AND EAR BURNS, I DIDNT KNOW WHAT THE HECK IT WAS, SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME! I WENT TO A DERMATOLOGIST, AND HE PRESCRIBED A WHITE FOAM. I STILL USE IT NOW AND THEN 2 YEARS LATER. . MY SCALP WAS A SCALEY NASTY MESS OF SOARS AND CHUNKS OF HARD SKIN- LIKE SCALES. I HEARD ON TV YESTERDAY THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD BAD RESULTS FROM THE JUST FOR MEN DYE….HANS

    1. Edwin Molina says:

      Use just for man por 12 años en el ultimo año2022 empeso una picason y ardor en mi cara y labios .de repente en todo mi cuerpo lo deje de usar tras la reaccion ..pero se quedo wn mi cuerpo de ves en cuando sin usar mi cuerco quedo con reacciones se alergia me sale unas ronchas coloradas y co. Mucha ardor va y viene eso no deja que yo siga con mi vida si me rasco por algu. Motivo la piel me sale ronchas y calentamiento picason por favor ayudarme yo se que fue la reaccion de ese producto just for men.

  6. Shawn Cook says:

    Just for Men beard and mustache burned my skin and left blisters

  7. John O Reilly says:

    Two days after using the hairdye my eyes swelled shut. My scalp is a sticky mess.

  8. Tim Hall says:

    I used it in 2012 ive got permanent scaring on ears and forehead lost hair and hearing in left ear from the burns that turned to blisters this was after i tested a small spot on back of my head and it was ok was off work for six weeks from the side effects lost my job .

  9. Alejandra aviles says:

    just for men beard and mustache burned my husbands skin and left it discolored

    1. Sylviq says:

      I suffered Also

      1. Janeth Hernandez says:

        My husband had the same problem.

  10. Willard holly says:

    I’m sick from the the hair dye I had lung lproblems stomach problems and swelling of my feet

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