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Business Profile

Hair Care

Formulate

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Hair Care.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Formulate's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Formulate has 2 locations, listed below.

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    • Formulate

      101 Jefferson Dr. Ste 233k Menlo Park, CA 94025

    • Formulate

      107 Jefferson Dr Menlo Park, CA 94025

    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 4 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 0 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/02/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I seemingly had no issues with their product initially. It wasn't until after I ordered refills in 2/24, which were a different formula, that I started having a bad allergic reaction on my ears, scalp, neck and collarbone. I reached out to my "personal chemist" about a week after receiving my order and explained my issues. They offered to reconfigure my formula and send me a new set of shampoo and conditioner. I agreed, and they did - unfortunately, it didn't help. We tried going back to the original formula and it, too, was now causing me to have an allergic reaction. If I stopped using the product the rash went away almost overnight, but using the product - I have a rash before I'm out of the shower. This last formula they tried using only natural scents, but still - an awful rash all over my head and neck area. Today they said they can't do anything else to help me, so I asked for a refund since I paid for a very expensive product which I cannot use. They refused. They referred me to their FAQ section which states "If you're not satisfied with your initial formulas, your team will work with you to make adjustments to your routine and/or your formulas. If you decide you don't want a re-formulation we're happy to process a full refund. Please note, by choosing the one-time free reformation we will be unable to refund the original purchase. Refund and re-formation requests must be made within 30 days of delivery"I didn't request a reformulation. It was offered to me when I contacted them on 3/23 after receiving my order initiated on 2/29 and received 3/9 ***** Tracking **********************). At no point was I told that by accepting this I would be unable to get a refund. This is a deceitful and unethical business practice.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/01/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Hello, my husband and I received our refunds on 11/3 and I would like to withdraw my complaint. ding me the products anyway. On 10/31, during normal business hours, Formulate sent me an auto response to my plea saying that they usually have a 3 hour response time, but as of now, 11/1 10:45 AM, I still have still not heard from anyone. The only link to their phone number is on the BBB website and the answering machine says they do not offer phone support. I would like my money and my husband's refunded immediately. I have canceled all the subscriptions on the app, but there is no way to remove our credit card information.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/09/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.

       
      Complaint: 19561802

      I am rejecting this response because:

      Yes, product was ordered and not used till a later date.  If I had used product immediately the company is saying I could get a refund.  The issue is not with the return policy, it is with the faulty product this company sold me.  *********** should honor a refund for a product that was not what was ordered.  Product was supposed to help hair issues, not make my hair feel terrible.  They did offer a replacement, but why would I get another when the first was so awful?

      Sincerely,

      *****************************

      Business Response

      Date: 03/29/2023

      This customer's order was delivered in Nov of 2022. They did not reach out until Feb 20, 2023. Our refund policy states any refund requests must be made within 30 days, she did not like this. 30 days is standard for almost every company in the US. We offered a free replacement despite being outside her 30 day window, however, this wasn't good enough for her. A list of ingredients in her product is included below.

      Shampoo:

      Scientific Name CAS #
      Water 7732-18-5
      Cocamidopropyl Betaine **********
      Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate 928663-45-0
      Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate **********
      Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate 137-20-2
      Diglycerin **********
      Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine **********
      Fragrance
      Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ***** - 50 - 5
      Caprylyl/capryl Glucoside **********
      Cocamide Mipa **********
      Polyglycerol-2 Laurate **********
      **************** **********
      Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate 108777-93-1
      Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate **********
      Polyglyceryl-3 Cocoate 1096160-92-7
      Polyglyceryl-6 Ricinoleate **********
      Phenylpropanol 122-97-4
      Caprylyl Glycol 1117-86-8
      Propanediol 504-63-2
      Lactic Acid 50-21-5
      Panthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride ******- 76- 6
      P-anisic Acid 100-09-4
      Levulinic Acid 123-76-2
      Glycerin 56-81-5
      Sodium Lactate 72-17-3
      Carbamide 57-13-6
      Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride **********
      Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine **********
      Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 114040-31-2
      Tocopherol 10191-41-0Scientific Name CAS #
      Water 7732-18-5
      Cocamidopropyl Betaine **********
      Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate 928663-45-0
      Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate **********
      Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate 137-20-2
      Diglycerin **********
      Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine **********
      Fragrance
      Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ***** - 50 - 5
      Caprylyl/capryl Glucoside **********
      Cocamide Mipa **********
      Polyglycerol-2 Laurate **********
      **************** **********
      Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate 108777-93-1
      Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate **********
      Polyglyceryl-3 Cocoate 1096160-92-7
      Polyglyceryl-6 Ricinoleate **********
      Phenylpropanol 122-97-4
      Caprylyl Glycol 1117-86-8
      Propanediol 504-63-2
      Lactic Acid 50-21-5
      Panthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride ******- 76- 6
      P-anisic Acid 100-09-4
      Levulinic Acid 123-76-2
      Glycerin 56-81-5
      Sodium Lactate 72-17-3
      Carbamide 57-13-6
      Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride **********
      Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine **********
      Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 114040-31-2
      Tocopherol **********

      Conditioner:

      Scientific Name CAS #
      Water 7732-18-5
      Olealkonium Chloride **********
      Polyquaternium-37 **********
      Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/dicaprate **********
      Diglycerin **********
      Fragrance
      Cetearamidoethyl Diethonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 156715-40-1
      Sea Kelp Bioferment **********
      Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ***** - 50 - 5
      Glycerin 56-81-5
      Acetamide Mea 142-26-7
      Polyglycerol-2 Laurate **********
      Caprylic Capric Triglyceride **********
      Camellia Japonica Seed (tsubaki) *** 223748-13-8
      Astaxanthin 472-61-7
      Fucoxanthin 3351-86-8
      Porphyridium Cruentum Extract 223751-77-7
      Propoxytetramethyl Piperidinyl Dimethicone 171543-65-0
      Oleoyl Sarcosine 110-25-8
      Panthenol **********
      Hydrolyzed Keratin **********
      Ppg-1 Trideceth-6
      Coco-caprylate/caprate **********
      Caprylyl Glycol 1117-86-8
      Phenylpropanol 122-97-4
      Propanediol 504-63-2
      C11-15 Pareth-*************
      Trideceth-6 **********
      Cetrimonium Chloride 112-02-7
      Trioctyldodecyl Citrate 126121-35-5
      Behentrimonium Chloride **********
      Cetearyl Alcohol **********
      Panthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride ******- 76- 6
      P-anisic Acid 100-09-4
      Levulinic Acid 123-76-2
      Lactic Acid 50-21-5
      Sodium Lactate 72-17-3
      Carbamide 57-13-6
      Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride **********
      Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate 378789-58-3
      Triisostearin **********
      Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (sweet ******* *** 8007-69-0
      Persea Gratissima (avocado) *** 8024-32-6
      Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate 928663-45-0
      Cocamidopropyl Betaine **********
      Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 114040-31-2
      Lecithin 8002-43-5
      Cocoyl Sarcosine **********
      Tocopheryl Acetate 7695-91-2
      Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans 156715-51-4
      Triticum Vulgare (wheat) Germ *** 8006-95-9
      Wheat Germ Acid 9001-77-8
      Linoleic Acid 60-33-3
      Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Seed *** **********
      Sodium Cocoyl Collagen Amino Acids **********
      Sorbitol 50-70-4
      Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate 137-20-2
      Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate **********
      Cucurbita Pepo (pumpkin) Seed *** 8016-49-7
      Tocopherol **********
      Aloe Barbadensis (aloe ****) Leaf Extract **********
      Brassica Oleracea Italica (broccoli) Seed *** **********

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/02/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On 05/13/2022, I got a transaction notice of my credit card, it showed that "Formulate Labs, **** $36.83". I never heard this company, and I didn't make this purchase. So I reported this fraud transaction to the bank immediately. Bank issued a new credit card to me.On 07/13/2022, again, I got a transaction notice of my new credit card, it showed that "Formulate Labs, **** $41.83". It's ridiculous! I never make any purchase with this company. I searched this company on ****** and found the website, I tried to call the phone number shown on the website to ask them what is going on! But there is only a Robot female voice repeat nonsense words. I reported this fraud transaction to the bank again. Also, bank issued a totally new credit card to me.On 08/22/2022, the third time! I got a transaction notice of my totally new credit card, it showed that "Formulate Labs, **** $52.55". I reported this fraud transaction immediately. Again, the bank issued a totally new credit card to me. On 09/19/2022, the fourth time! I got a transaction notice of my totally new credit card, it showed that "Formulate Labs, **** $41.83. I reported this fraud transaction immediately. It's unacceptable! REPEAT! I never subscribe this company! I never make any purchase from them! Please STOP these fraud transaction immediately! Is there any department can investigate this fraud company? Where do they get my credit card information? How can they charge credit card without my authorization?

    Formulate is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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