Last year, a group of women filed a class action lawsuit against Unilever, the manufacturer of Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion 30-Day Smoothing Kit, alleging that though the product was marketed at a Keratin smoother, it actually contains a formula to chemically relax the hair. According to the women, this caused everything from melted hair to scalp burns to increased and permanent hair loss and resulted in an aesthetic that would certainly not prompt anyone to GET THIS LOOK! And last week, a judge rejected Unilever’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, which means it will be going to trial.
According to a law firm representing the plaintiffs other women who are suing Unilever, the company marketed this product as if it was “formaldehyde free” when it was in fact not:
…Unilever may have failed to inform consumers that the Product contains a chemical known as “Tetrasodium EDTA,” which is mainly synthesized from formaldehyde. Unilever also may have failed to inform consumers that the Product contains a chemical preservative known as “DMDM Hydantoin,” which is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser with the trade name Glydant.
Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In May of 2012, Unilever recalled the product, but lawyers allege that they didn’t do enough to make it clear that it wasn’t to be used anymore; one attorney Amy Davis told Austin’s Fox affiliate that the recall was “lukewarm,” explaining that of the women she represents, 25 to 50 percent of them bought and used the product after it was recalled.
Details of the damage documented by some of the women are available on the Facebook page Suave Keratin Infusion Kit Destroyed My Hair. The product is part of a larger Keratin Infusion line of Suave products and is still listed on their website, but noted as “discontinued” with no actual information about why (if you want the dirty details, you have to email or call the company). A link to purchase it on Amazon is dead, though it’s still up on Walmart.com – with the note “***TO BE DELETED***.” Walmart’s site has a massive list of circumstances under which you shouldn’t use the product, which include if you have highlighted hair, if you’ve used henna or if you have ever chemically relaxed or straightened your hair.