L'Oreal Responds to Hair Care Products Causing Cancer

As of February, U.S. court records show that at least 57 lawsuits have been filed in federal courts around the country over these hair-straightening products.

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Today (July 7), L'Oréal and other companies asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges beauty companies such as L'Oréal manufacture and sell hair straighteners (also known as hair relaxers) that can cause cancer, Reuters reported.

As previously reported, in October 2022, an African American woman who has been a longtime user of L'Oréal hair straighteners recently filed a civil lawsuit against L'Oréal, claiming that its products cause cancer and seeking damages. Her attorney cited a study by the National Institutes of Health that said hair straightening hair straightener products, which are used primarily by African-American women, put users at an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.

As of February, U.S. court records show that at least 57 lawsuits have been filed in federal courts around the country over these hair-straightening products. The lawsuits accuse L'Oréal's U.S. subsidiary, Indian company Godrej SON Holdings Inc and a subsidiary of Dabur International Ltd. of marketing and selling their products knowing that they contain dangerous chemicals.

In May, in a consolidated complaint, the suitors said that L'Oreal and other companies' "hair relaxers have had significant negative health effects. The suit alleges that the companies "exposed consumers to toxic products without warning them.

In a joint filing on July 6, L'Oréal's defense lawyers slammed the plaintiffs' claims as "vague" and said the allegations were "unfounded conclusions.

According to the filing, hair straighteners, also known as hair relaxers, are products that modify the combability of curly hair and make it easy to style, straightening the hair and then styling it to suit the desired hairstyle. Hair straightening agents include esters, bases and hydrogen peroxide, which are restricted substances in the composition of cosmetics. Therefore, there are some restrictions on their use and frequent use is not recommended.