Suave Keratin Infusion Lawsuit goes Class Action

jamaica68

Well-Known Member
Sorry if it's been posted already!:perplexed

http://www.kisforkinky.com/the-suave-keratin-infusion-lawsuit-goes-class-action/

unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ve been well aware of the keratin products flooding the market. after the ftc got involved and exposed formaldehyde-based ingredients, many other brands from high to low end popped up with their own formaldehyde-free keratin “smoothing” products. one of those brands was suave who pimped the hell out of their Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion 30-Day Smoothing Kit.

when it hit the market, many women were relieved to find out that for customers that were interested, there indeed was a formaldehyde-free version of product that could be used to temporarily straighten your hair (you know, unlike those other brands that straight up lied and said they had no formaldehyde when it was discovered that they actually did). the problem is that suave lied too. their kit never was formaldehyde-free. (in addition to being used to preserved dead bodies, formaldehyde is a carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer). in may of last year while we weren’t paying attention, they ripped this product from some shelves after customers started complaining about scalp burns and “melting” hair (i’m gonna have nightmares just typing that). the problem was that their formulation permanently relaxed hair for many women – so, in essence, they were selling a pseudo-relaxer all the time covered up as a temporary straightening solution. last week, a judge rejected unilever’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, and now the suave keratin infusion lawsuit has gone class action.

according to the lawsuit, unilever, the company that makes suave, marketed their kit as “formaldehyde free” though it was 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.”

some women have gone to lengths to document their hair story on facebook. on the Suave Keratin Infusion Kit Destroyed My Hair, there are photos of hair breakage and first persona accounts from users of this product. to make matters worse, you can still find this product online. a simple search took us to Walmart (with a note to delete), Total Beauty and YouTube where the brand still has their “how-to” video up. many women with kinky to wavy hair left comments on the video asking how to use it, with sauve often copying and pasting this reply:

“The 30-Day Smoothing Kit is a 3-step chemical treatment that works by temporarily altering the bonds in your hair to form a smoother/straighter style. While this kit is not intended to completely straighten curly/wavy hair, some straightening will occur depending on your hair. The kit is not for all hair types, so you should take the “Is the kit right for me?” quiz on our website before using and check out the other products in the line that work for a broader variety of hair types.”

obviously unilever hired oliva pope because though a few news stories hit around this time last year about the original lawsuit, it never made national news. attorney amy davis, who represents the 60 plaintiffs, said that that the recall was “lukewarm,” as 25 to 50 percent of her clients bought and used the product after it was recalled.

according to other details in the suit, unilever also tried to get women who reported problems with the kit to sign a release preventing them from suing and in exchange “for as little as $50.00 for a haircut.”
 

grownwomanaz

Love and Harmony
I'm glad I never tried that crap. We have to be so careful. It makes you wonder about other products you use.
 

Dove56

Well-Known Member
When I read the ingredients in that product when it first came out I told my sis it would be a disaster. I didn't think most folks would take the time to read the directions and most folks aren't familiar with ingredients.

You basically needed virgin hair for that product to be effective and not cause breakage.
 

NaiyaAi

New Member
Don't a lot of shampoos have tetrasodium EDTA in them anyway? Was there something else in this product that reacted with this to cause it? Was it at a higher concentration than normal? Or was there another ingredient in it that was melting people's hair?

I'm going to have nightmares about my hair melting now.
 

Dove56

Well-Known Member
Don't a lot of shampoos have tetrasodium EDTA in them anyway? Was there something else in this product that reacted with this to cause it? Was it at a higher concentration than normal? Or was there another ingredient in it that was melting people's hair?

I'm going to have nightmares about my hair melting now.

Yes, tetrasodium EDTA and DMDM Hydatonin are in so many products. The real issue is that folks didn't read the directions fully. The product contained Ammonium Thiogycolate which CANNOT be mixed with relaxers (think Nair)and it's not really safe to apply it to bleached or highlighted hair either.

Most folks probably saw "keratin" and know you put the typical keratin treatment over relaxed, bleach, or color-treated hair. That's a huge selling point about keratin. Real keratin treatments don't "process" your hair. This one does (or did).
 

DoDo

Big Hair, Don't Care
Yes, tetrasodium EDTA and DMDM Hydatonin are in so many products. The real issue is that folks didn't read the directions fully. The product contained Ammonium Thiogycolate which CANNOT be mixed with relaxers (think Nair)and it's not really safe to apply it to bleached or highlighted hair either.

Most folks probably saw "keratin" and know you put the typical keratin treatment over relaxed, bleach, or color-treated hair. That's a huge selling point about keratin. Real keratin treatments don't "process" your hair. This one does (or did).

The bolded is the key ingredient in a jherri curl. It was a relaxer.

"Ammonium thioglycolate, also known as perm salt. A solution containing ammonium thioglycolate contains a lot of free ammonia, which swells hair, rendering it permeable. The thioglycolic acid in the perm solution reduces the disulfide cystine bonds in the cortex of the hair. In a sense, the thioglycolate removes crosslinks. After washing, the hair is treated with a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes the cysteines back to cystine. These new chemical bonds impart the structural rigidity necessary for a successful perm. The rigidification process is akin to the vulcanization of rubber, where commonly polysulfide linkages are used to crosslink the polymer chains. However, not as many disulfide bonds are reformed as there were before the permanent. As a result, the hair is weaker than before the permanent was applied and repeated applications over the same spot may eventually cause strand breakage." - Wikipedia

havilland

"A product falsely marketed as chemical-free in the 1990s, the Rio Hair Naturalizer System, led to a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer, the World Rio Corporation Inc., when the acidic chemicals it contained caused scalp damage and/or hair loss to thousands of users.[2][3] The product was eventually withdrawn from the market.[3]"- Wikipedia

Why this is worse than sodium hydroxide aka what we usually refer to when we are talking about a relaxer;

"Another type of "no-lye" relaxer uses ammonium thioglycolate, which is also known as perm salt for its use in permanent waves. Perm salt is a chemical reducing agent which selectively weakens the hair's cystine bonds instead of disrupting the entire protein, but strips out the natural oils even more thoroughly than the alkali hydroxide products. Afterward, the thioglycolate must be oxidized with a special solution of hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate." - Wikipedia
 
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DrC

Well-Known Member
 

DrC

Well-Known Member
That is so awful!


Reminds me of "rio".

That's why I don't like to try anything new

I'll never forget the time someone told me one of the stylists on the infomercials was eating it. Talking about 'all natural'. :perplexed
 

HappyAtLast

Simplicity & Peacefulness
I'm transitioning to become a natural who straightens twice monthly and I've been looking at these types of products. But I'm so tired of big business lying. You can't trust anything they say.

so I'm going to invest my time and money into the best products based on real customer reviews for blow dry lotion, blow dryer, heat protectant, flat iron, deep conditioner and protein treatments.

I'm going to do my straightening with good old fashion heat and these "straightening systems" can kick rocks!
 

CurliDiva

Well-Known Member
Does anyone remember that "RIO" crap from the 90s that was so safe that you could eat it?

The infomercial had folks shaking their hair back and forth and showed dipping their fingers in the jar and eating it!
 

so1913

Well-Known Member
Does anyone remember that "RIO" crap from the 90s that was so safe that you could eat it?

The infomercial had folks shaking their hair back and forth and showed dipping their fingers in the jar and eating it!

Yep this sounds like Rio Part Deux lol.
 

naija24

Well-Known Member
where is Napp?

Also, this is why I'm not a product junkie. I don't like trying out EVERY SINGLE new thing that hits the market. I stick to the tried and true.
 

Stormy

Well-Known Member
This is why I usually wait one to two years before I try anything new, unless it's a moisturizer, shampoo or conditioner. I read tons of reviews from different sites too. When that woman on the RIO commercial was eating it, I knew it sounded too good to be true so I never tried it. Next thing I hear reports of everybody's hair falling out!
 

SunRai Naturals

Well-Known Member
Well from what I understand from OP the company did not disclose certain chemicals in the product so even if the customers did read the ingredients from top to bottom that still would not have helped.

Because of the nature of what they did, I could never blame the consumer. This is solely Suave's fault. If they do some of their products like that then you better believe that they have chemicals in all of their products that aren't disclosed.

So for those of you using their conditioners, shampoos, and styling products you may want to re-think that. A lot of people use their conditioners to co-wash. I wouldn't chance it.
 

greenandchic

Well-Known Member
Does anyone remember that "RIO" crap from the 90s that was so safe that you could eat it?

The infomercial had folks shaking their hair back and forth and showed dipping their fingers in the jar and eating it!

I remember when Debbie Allen was rubbing that crap (probably yogurt) though her daughter's hair. I remember my mother side eyeing that crap even before fallout (no pun) occurred.
 

so1913

Well-Known Member
Folks need to accept there is no easy or "safe" way around permanently straightening/physically altering the structure of your hair. Its going to take a harsh chemical process that breaks down bonds in the hair. If you are set on the permanent route, at least press your luck with what has been tried and tested overtime (lye) or seek temporary heat/no heat/low heat straightening alternatives, at least (for the most part) the side affects, dangers, and methods of minimizing damage are pretty well known, or just leave your hair alone. (just an opinion)
 

Napp

Ms. Nobody
where is @Napp?

Also, this is why I'm not a product junkie. I don't like trying out EVERY SINGLE new thing that hits the market. I stick to the tried and true.


naija24

I'm here. I dont have much to say because i already knew this happened and why. it was a thio relaxer being sold as a keratin smoothing treatment.

The moral of the story is that Its important to look at the ingredients before you put anything on your head.

Personally, this doesn't put me off from keratin treatments at all because ingredient wise this was not a typical keratin treatment. plus i would never use a bkt sold at a drugstore.:look:


some people will get even more scared of bkts now but well thats the breaks! There is so much misinformation about bkts out there and this news doesnt help any. I used to want to try to clear things up but I feel like i'm wasting my time....
 
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