Recently, Henkel Corporation, the owner of the haircare brand DevaCurl, is facing a new class action lawsuit over allegations that it misled consumers with false markdowns and fabricated discounts on its website. The complaint, filed by plaintiff Silvia Garcia, accuses Henkel of violating California law by advertising fictitious regular prices alongside strike-through discounts that created the illusion of significant savings.
According to the lawsuit, the prices displayed as “discounted” were never actually offered at the purported original prices, making the reference prices artificially inflated. This practice, Garcia claims, resulted in “phantom markdowns” that deceived customers into believing they were getting a bargain.
“The result is a sham price disparity that is per se illegal under California law,” the suit states. Garcia is seeking to represent a class of California consumers who purchased DevaCurl products at these alleged fake discounts within the statute of limitations period.
The plaintiff argues that Henkel’s pricing strategy was part of a “deceptive pricing scheme” aimed at boosting sales and profits by misleading shoppers. The lawsuit asserts that Henkel knowingly engaged in this conduct in violation of the state’s False Advertising Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act. Garcia is requesting a jury trial, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief, along with statutory damages for herself and other affected consumers.
This is not the first time DevaCurl has been embroiled in legal controversy. In 2021, the brand faced class action lawsuits over claims that its products caused hair loss and scalp irritation, ultimately leading to a proposed $5.2 million settlement.
