If you lost hair after using a shampoo, conditioner, or styling product, a class action lawsuit for hair loss may be an option depending on the brand and when you used it. Several major cases have already settled, paying claimants amounts that ranged from a flat $25 up to $20,000 for the most severe hair loss. Others were dismissed. A few are still active, mostly centered on a preservative called DMDM hydantoin. The largest ongoing hair product litigation in the country, the chemical hair relaxer MDL, involves cancer claims rather than hair loss, though scalp burns and hair loss are cited within it as evidence that the products caused harm.
Settled Hair Loss Class Actions and What They Paid
WEN Hair Care
The WEN Cleansing Conditioner case is the largest resolved hair loss class action to date. Filed in January 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Guthy-Renker and WEN By Chaz Dean, the suit alleged the products caused hair loss and severe scalp irritation. The defendants agreed to pay more than $26 million.1
Payouts under the settlement were tiered by severity. Claimants who experienced more than 50% hair loss with minimal regrowth could receive $12,500 to $20,000. Those with milder symptoms such as temporary thinning received smaller amounts. A basic tier paid a flat $25 for personal injury claims without requiring proof of purchase. Final approval came on August 21, 2017, an appeal was dismissed that December, and payments went out in early 2018.
DevaCurl
DevaCurl, a brand aimed at curly-haired consumers, settled a class action for $5.2 million. The class covered anyone who purchased or used DevaCurl cleansers, conditioners, styling, or treatment products between February 2008 and August 2021. The claims deadline was November 21, 2021, and U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods granted final approval on January 3, 2022. If you used DevaCurl products in that window and did not file by the deadline, that particular settlement is closed.
Cases That Did Not Result in Payouts
Olaplex
In February 2023, 28 women filed a class action against Olaplex in a California district court alleging its products caused hair loss, bald spots, breakage, blisters, and rashes. The suit pointed to lilial (butylphenyl methylpropional) and alleged the company kept selling older inventory containing it after claiming to have removed the ingredient. On July 11, 2023, the court granted Olaplex’s motion to sever and dismissed the claims. The dismissal was without prejudice, so plaintiffs could potentially refile. Olaplex has said its products do not cause hair loss and that independent lab testing supports their safety.
Monat
Direct-sales company Monat Global Corp. faced multiple proposed class actions beginning in 2018 alleging hair loss, scalp irritation, and breakage rather than the promised benefits. At least six lawsuits were consolidated into a single case in the Southern District of Florida. In 2018, the Florida attorney general’s office reached a voluntary agreement requiring Monat to offer refunds to customers who felt misled and to restrict certain advertising claims. The agreement took no position on whether Monat had done anything wrongful. The FDA has investigated more than 300 consumer complaints about the products.
Active Shampoo Lawsuits Over DMDM Hydantoin
A separate track of litigation targets shampoos and conditioners containing DMDM hydantoin, a preservative that works by slowly releasing small amounts of formaldehyde. Plaintiffs allege the ingredient causes hair loss and scalp irritation and that manufacturers failed to warn consumers. The FDA has identified DMDM hydantoin as a common allergen capable of triggering immune responses. No published study directly links the ingredient to hair loss in people who are not allergic to it.
TRESemmé
A nationwide class action was filed against Unilever in Los Angeles alleging that TRESemmé Keratin Hair Smoothing Shampoo and Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo contain DMDM hydantoin that causes significant hair loss and scalp irritation. The complaint alleged Unilever falsely marketed the products as smoothing and keratin-coating despite knowing about the risks since at least 2012. TRESemmé responded that its products meet “stringent safety standards” and that DMDM hydantoin is a “safe and effective preservative.” A parallel Canadian class action naming Unilever Canada and Alberto-Culver International was discontinued by court order on January 18, 2023.
OGX
Illinois resident Larissa Whipple filed a nationwide class action against Johnson & Johnson alleging that OGX shampoos and conditioners containing DMDM hydantoin cause hair loss, scalp irritation, and rashes. The suit, Whipple v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., alleged the company had committed to removing DMDM hydantoin from its products by 2015 but kept selling formulations with the ingredient after acquiring OGX’s parent, Vogue International, in 2016. The case was still under review as of mid-2021.
Other Brands That Were Investigated
Legal investigators examined DMDM hydantoin content in dozens of additional products from brands including Aussie, Dove, Nexxus, Mane ‘n Tail, Keratin Complex, Paul Mitchell, TIGI, Finesse, Got2b, and Maui Moisture. As of October 2022, those investigations were closed. Lawsuits had been filed against some manufacturers with what investigators described as “varying results.” If you used one of these brands and are considering a claim, whether an active case exists depends on the specific product and jurisdiction, so verify current status with an attorney before assuming you can join anything.
The Hair Relaxer MDL Is About Cancer, Not Hair Loss
If you have seen advertising about “hair relaxer lawsuits,” that litigation is not primarily about hair loss. The federal multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 3060, In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Mary M. Rowland. As of May 2026, 11,526 actions were pending. Plaintiffs allege that chemical straighteners contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including formaldehyde, phthalates, and parabens, that increase the risk of uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancers.
Bellwether case selection requires a diagnosis of one of those cancers. Hair loss and scalp burns appear in the litigation as evidence that the products were dangerous, not as standalone bases for compensation. Settlement projections and case screening are all built around the cancer claims. If your only injury is hair loss, the relaxer MDL is not structured to compensate you, even though many of the same products are involved.
Products named in the litigation include Dark & Lovely, Just for Me, ORS Olive Oil, Optimum, Motions, and lines from African Pride and TCB Naturals. Defendants include L’Oréal, Namaste Laboratories, Strength of Nature, SoftSheen-Carson, Avlon Industries, and Bronner Brothers. First bellwether trials are expected in 2027. No global settlement has been reached, and the only allocated fund so far is a $44 million reserve carved out of Revlon’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan.
Class Action, MDL, or Individual Lawsuit
The structure of a case shapes what a payout can look like. A class action bundles all affected consumers into a single lawsuit with a shared outcome. Everyone in the class gets the same deal unless they opt out. This works when many people suffered the same relatively modest harm, such as buying a product that did not perform as advertised or caused temporary irritation. The WEN and DevaCurl settlements followed this model, which is why payouts were tiered by severity rather than individually negotiated.
A multidistrict litigation is different. Each plaintiff files an individual lawsuit, and the cases are transferred to a single judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings. Individual cases stay separate, and damages get tailored to each person’s injuries. That structure suits claims that range from fibroids to advanced-stage cancer, where a one-size settlement would shortchange the most seriously injured.
If you are considering an individual claim rather than a class settlement, expect to document product use in detail. In the relaxer MDL, qualifying plaintiffs generally need to show frequent use, typically four or more applications per year over five or more years, along with a diagnosed qualifying condition. Supporting proof includes store receipts, salon records, credit card statements, medical records, and pathology reports. Statutes of limitations vary by state, so eligibility and timing should be confirmed with an attorney.
FDA Action on Formaldehyde in Hair Products
The FDA has been working toward a proposed ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair straightening and smoothing products but has missed every deadline it set. The most recent target, December 31, 2025, passed with no proposed rule. Previous deadlines in October 2023, April 2024, November 2024, March 2025, and July 2025 also passed. An FDA spokesperson has said the proposed rule remains a “priority for the Agency.”
Members of Congress, including Representatives Shontel Brown, Nydia Velázquez, and Ayanna Pressley, have publicly pressed the agency on the delays. The Environmental Working Group and Women’s Voices for the Earth filed a citizen petition urging the ban in 2021. The FDA currently advises consumers to check labels for formaldehyde, formalin, or methylene glycol and to ask salon professionals about ingredients. Workplace exposure in salons falls under OSHA, which maintains a hazard alert for hair smoothing products and a standard limiting airborne formaldehyde levels.
What To Do If You Think You Have a Claim
Start by identifying the specific product, when you used it, and what happened. Photos of hair loss, dated purchase records, and any medical or dermatology visits related to scalp problems will matter more than general recollection. Check whether the case you have in mind is already closed. WEN’s claim window ended in 2018 and DevaCurl’s in November 2021, so those settlements are no longer accepting claims. For open cases such as the TRESemmé and OGX suits, and for any evaluation of whether hair loss injuries can support a claim against a currently uninvolved brand, consult a products liability attorney who can confirm the current docket and your state’s filing deadlines.