Mielle (formerly Mielle Organics), the popular natural hair care brand, is under scrutiny after many people have taken to social media to claim the products have caused scalp irritation and hair loss.
Mielle was founded in 2014 by Monique Rodriguez and was sold to P&G in 2023. At the time, many long time users of the brand accused Mielle of selling out and worried the sale would cause the products to decline in quality and change formulas, which is common when natural hair brands sell to large companies. Rodriguez said she was “selling up — not selling out” and that the sale would allow the brand to expand.
I’ve used Mielle products before and have even recommended a few of them on this blog, including the Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil, the Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Mask and the Babassu Oil & Mint Deep Conditioner. Although I’ve used the products, they are not something I use everyday or even every week. There are other products that I use on a regular basis and I make my own hair growth oil.
Rodriguez — who is still Mielle’s CEO — has responded to the claims and said that the company has not changed the ingredients to their products, including the massively viral Rosemary Mint Oil. Despite this, it’s hard to ignore the dozens of videos of women (and some men) showing how their hair has broken and thinned since using the products. Many have shown the clumps of hair left in the shower and bald spots. Many say they’ve had scalp irritation and allergic reactions to the products.
Mielle isn’t the first big brand to face massive allegations of causing hair loss. In recent memory, many claimed that Olaplex (which I use regularly) caused hair breakage and loss. DevaCurl is facing several lawsuits for allegedly making people’s hair fall out. Most of these brands are quick to deny consumers’ concerns, which is wrong.
So what next? If you’re experiencing hair loss, it’s important for you to stop using the products and go to the dermatologist. Hair loss can be caused by many different things and it’s possible there is something in the product causing issues for you or it could be entirely unrelated. Many ingredients, like essential oils and rosemary, can cause irritation in high concentrations or if you’re allergic. I personally will not be using the rest of the Mielle products I have left to be on the safe side.
Do you use Mielle products? Have you experience hair loss? Let me know in the comments.
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