DevaCurl Lawsuit: Hair Loss Claims and $5.2M Settlement

The DevaCurl lawsuit was a consolidated class action accusing the curly-hair brand of causing hair loss, scalp irritation, and damaged curl patterns, and it ended with a $5.2 million settlement that received final approval on January 3, 2022. Judge Gregory H. Woods of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York signed off on the deal in In re Deva Concepts Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:20-cv-01234.¹ The claim deadline was November 21, 2021, and checks went out to approved claimants in September 2022. The case is closed.

What the Lawsuit Alleged

Multiple class actions were filed against Deva Concepts LLC in February 2020 in New York, California, and Florida, then consolidated in the Southern District of New York.¹ Plaintiffs said the products caused hair loss, balding, severe scalp irritation, excessive dandruff, dryness, and the straightening or distortion of curls, along with emotional distress.

The core legal theories were misleading advertising and inadequate labeling. Plaintiffs argued that DevaCurl marketed its cleansers as “gentle” and “free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones” while the products contained ingredients that could damage hair and scalp, and that the packaging lacked adequate warnings about potential side effects.² Some plaintiffs also alleged the company quietly changed its formulations without telling customers and did not adequately test the reformulated versions.³

The complaints centered on the “No-Poo” and “Low-Poo” cleanser lines, though the eventual settlement covered more than 40 products across DevaCurl’s cleansers, conditioners, styling products, and treatments.⁴ Neither the lawsuit nor DevaCurl publicly identified any single ingredient as the definitive cause of the reported problems.

How DevaCurl Responded

DevaCurl denied wrongdoing throughout the case. The company said its products had “gone through rigorous independent testing that has confirmed they are safe” and met the requirements of the Independent Cosmetic Ingredient Review.⁵ It publicly suggested that alternative explanations for reported symptoms might include stress, weight loss, childbirth, or dandruff.² The company characterized the complaints as “only a fraction of one percent of the millions of people who regularly enjoy DevaCurl products.”⁶

No product recall was ever issued. DevaCurl did later reformulate its line, removing artificial dyes, dropping ingredients the company described as “not necessary for formula performance,” adding chelating agents to cleansers, and standardizing its fragrances. DevaCurl did not publicly link those changes to the litigation.⁷ Deva Concepts settled without admitting wrongdoing.³

The $5.2 Million Settlement Terms

The parties reached the settlement on July 28, 2021, and Judge Woods gave final approval on January 3, 2022.¹ The class included anyone in the United States who purchased, used, or had used on them any covered DevaCurl product between February 8, 2008 and August 29, 2021.

Claims were divided into two tiers:

Tier 1 covered consumers with minor or undocumented adverse reactions. They could file for up to $20 without proof of purchase, with an average estimated payout of about $14.40.
Tier 2 covered consumers who suffered significant injuries such as hair loss, balding, or severe scalp irritation. They could claim up to $18,000 for injuries plus up to $1,000 for documented out-of-pocket expenses, but these claims required supporting documentation including medical records, before-and-after photographs, and statements from doctors or hairstylists.⁴

DevaCurl also agreed to labeling changes, including QR codes on products linking to a landing page with ingredient and product information. No portion of the settlement reverted to the company. The court approved $1.73 million in attorneys’ fees, roughly a third of the fund, and each of the 11 named class representatives received a $600 service award.¹

What Claimants Actually Received

More than 54,000 claims were submitted by the November 21, 2021 deadline, an 8.2% claim rate among eligible class members.¹ Simpluris administered the claims.⁸ Payments were scheduled for September 14, 2022, and claimants reported receiving checks around September 19 and 20.

Payouts for many Tier 2 claimants fell far short of the $18,000 maximum. According to recipient reports, most Tier 2 claimants received around $384.15, because the total fund operated as a cap and the highest payouts required extensive proof including medical bills, wig receipts, and witness testimony.³ Some claimants reported outstanding issues with distribution as late as January 2024, with attorneys still working through liens on certain claims.

Can You Still File a Claim?

No. The claim deadline passed on November 21, 2021, and the settlement is closed.⁹ The U.S. class action investigation is complete, no reopened claim window has been announced, and consumers who missed the deadline cannot recover through this case.

Canadian Cases

Proposed class actions were filed against DevaCurl in British Columbia and Quebec. Neither proceeded. A notice of discontinuance was filed in British Columbia on May 22, 2025, and Justice Sheehan issued a judgment on an application to discontinue in Quebec on November 4, 2025. Both are now closed, though individuals in Canada remain free to pursue independent claims through other counsel.¹⁰

Who Owns DevaCurl Now

Henkel, the German consumer goods company, acquired DevaCurl from private equity firm Ares Management in November 2019, just months before the lawsuits were filed. At the time of the sale, the brand was generating around $100 million in annual sales.¹¹ Ares had bought the brand from Tengram Capital Partners in 2017 for an estimated $250 to $300 million.¹²

Henkel continues to operate DevaCurl as an active brand, selling reformulated products described as “dermatologist co-developed” and marketed without SLS/SLES sulfates, parabens, or gluten.¹³

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Bloomberg Law. DevaCurl $5.2 Million Hair Products Injury Deal Gets Final Nod
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Cardozo AELJ. A Hairy Situation for Well-Known Hair Care Brand DevaCurl
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Top Class Actions. DevaCurl Hair Loss False Ad $5.2M Class Action Settlement
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ClassAction.org. $5.2 Million Settlement Reached to Resolve DevaCurl Class Actions
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NPR. DevaCurl Faces Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Hair Loss
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ABC11. Customers Say Curly Product Line Made Their Hair Fall Out
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DevaCurl Pro. New Deva
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Simpluris. Case Search
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ClassAction.org. DevaCurl Hair Loss Scalp Irritation Lawsuits
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Charney Lawyers. DevaCurl Class Action
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BeautyMatter. Henkel Acquires DevaCurl From Ares Management
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Henkel North America. DevaCurl