Unilever Suave Shampoo Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Formaldehyde Problems

A class action lawsuit have been filed over Unilever Suave shampoos and conditions, alleging the manufacturer falsely advertised its professional hair products as safe, while concealing information that Suave shampoos and conditions may contain formaldehyde, which is a known human carcinogen.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Deanna Lewakowski in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 18, seeking class action status to pursue damages on behalf of all consumers nationwide who purchased variations of Suave Professionals Shampoo and Conditioners, based on misleading and false benefits purportedly offered by the products, and without warning of being exposed to cancer causing ingredients.

The lawsuit involves Suave Professionals Shampoo and/or Conditioner products which contain the ingredient DMDM hydantoin.

Lewakowski claims Unilever advertises its Suave products nationwide with false and misleading marketing and labeling claims ,indicating the products provide smoothing, repairing, or restoring benefits, and hails them as a superior product for preventing hair loss, compared to alternatives.

The plaintiff alleges Suave professional hair products are marketed as working “just as well as premium brands,” and asks consumers to “trust [they]’ve got the good stuff.”, when in fact, customers are unknowingly being exposed to DMDM hydantoin ingredients, which may cause consumers to suffer hair loss, allergic reactions, or skin and scalp irritation.

While formaldehyde-releasers are common in shampoo and conditioner to prevent microbes from growing in water-based products, the lawsuit claims there are safer alternatives than DMDM hydantoin. DMDM hydantoin is an antimicrobial formaldehyde known to cause reactions including itchiness, red rashes on the skin brittle hair, loss of hair and even dermatitis.

Lewakowski’s lawsuit indicates that within two months of using the Suave products, her hair became dry, brittle and began breaking easily. Plaintiff also claims she suffered scalp irritation, yet when she stopped using the Suave products, the symptoms slowly dissipated.

The Suave shampoo and Conditioner class action lawsuit alleges Unilever knew, or should have known, DMDM hydantoin would cause thousands of consumers to experience hair loss and/or scalp irritation, yet concealed the information while marketing their “Professionals” line of products as superior.

The lawsuit further cites the United States National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have both recognized DMDM hydantoin as a known human carcinogen, yet the chemical has been used in Unilever products, including the Suave Products, for more than a decade.

Lewakowski presents claims of Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, state consumer fraud acts, fraud, and unjust enrichment.

The lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide class of individuals who purchased one of the Suave Professional products and has either suffered, or will suffer economic losses in repairing and restoring damage caused by the products. The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages against Unilever for its alleged malice, motive and reckless disregard for consumer safety.

In 2014, Unilever agreed to pay $10.2 million to settle a Suave class action lawsuit filed by consumers over hair loss from its formaldehyde-containing Suave Keratin Infusion treatments. The lawsuit claimed the manufacturer engaged in deceptive advertising by claiming the Keratin Infusion hair product was formaldehyde free, even though it contained a chemical which released formaldehyde when used.