August 22, 2016 — An 11 year-old girl from Colorado who lost her hair after using WEN Cleansing Conditioner has joined more than 21,000 people who complained about the product.
The Daily Mail reports that Eliana Lawrence used the product only three times before nearly going bald.
She told FOX31, “I was scared that I had cancer or something.”
Her hair still has not grown back completely and she was teased by her classmates, which is part of the reason why she was home-schooled last year. It has been two years since she used the product.
Eliana has joined more than 200 other people in a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of WEN. They recently offered a $25 million class action settlement, which would provide up to $20,000 to victims of hair loss and $25 to anyone who used WEN products.
Last month, the FDA issued a Safety Alert after learning the company had over 21,000 complaints.
Cosmetics makers do not have to report complaints to the FDA — even reports of death. And even if the FDA discovers a serious safety problem, it does not have the authority to force a recall.
Eliana wrote to her state senators expressing support for the Personal Care Products Safety Act, a new law that would give the FDA authority to recall dangerous cosmetics.