For the past month, allegations involving hair loss and other side effects have engulfed the luxury hair care brand Olaplex.
Olaplex is being sued after 30 women filed a lawsuit on Feb. 9, claiming the company’s products contain allergens and irritants that have resulted in brittle hair and hair loss. Olaplex’s image troubles come at the heels of the company’s declining streak since going public in 2021.
The subsequent social media fallout prompted Olaplex CEO JuE Wong to address the allegations in a video message last week, saying the claims are “baseless” and that Olaplex is “prepared to vigorously defend” the brand. Wong added that the company has publicly released test results from independent third-party laboratories debunking claims that Olaplex products cause hair damage.
The Olaplex case is part of a growing trend of customers taking legal action against what they allege is false advertising or misleading marketing. Other allegations are more benign, sometimes taking issue with where products are produced and how that’s reflected in marketing campaigns. This was recently the case for Barilla and Godiva, whose false “European-made” branding irritated some customers. While companies can put these legal issues behind them with settlements, they can also tarnish the reputation — and, at the very least, immediate sales — of more vulnerable brands. And social media has become the hotbed for many of these backlash campaigns to go viral.
Some of the lawsuits center around...
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, one of Britain’s greatest soldiers, was known affectionately to his grandchildren as “Papa”. Alex Bramall, his grandson, a fashion photographer, was particularly close ...