Top beauty brands face lawsuits over hair product concerns

According to The Street , What started as a beauty trend has now become a dangerous and potentially deadly issue for some consumers. Hair relaxers, which have been used for decades to straighten curly hair, are at the center of thousands of lawsuits filed by Black women against the makers of these products. The cases, filed in federal court in Chicago, allege that chemical hair relaxers have caused serious health problems, including uterine cancer.

The Controversial History of Hair Relaxers

Hair relaxers were first introduced in the early 1900s as a solution for hair management. Over the years, the popularity of these products has exploded, with the industry making billions annually, and over 10.5 million consumers in the U.S. alone. However, the success of this industry has a troubling backstory, particularly for Black women. As one plaintiff shared in an NBC News interview, “I wanted a job… going to an employer with an afro back in those days would not have cut it.”

A 2023 study by Dove and LinkedIn highlighted the systemic challenges Black women face in the workplace due to their natural hair. The study found that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be seen as “unprofessional” than white women’s hair. The findings revealed:

• 66% of Black women alter their hair for job interviews.
• 41% switch from curly to straight hair.
• 54% feel pressured to straighten their hair to succeed in job interviews.
• 25% believe they have been denied a job interview because of their hair.

Fidelma Fitzpatrick, a New York attorney co-leading the lawsuit, explained that some women turned to hair relaxers out of necessity, while others were influenced by societal pressures or media portrayals of Eurocentric beauty standards. Advertisements for these products often depict women with long, glossy, straight hair, creating an allure that many Black women have felt compelled to mimic.

The Hidden Health Risks of Hair Relaxers

The health risks associated with chemical hair relaxers have long been downplayed. In 2022, a study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that women who used hair relaxers regularly developed uterine cancer at more than twice the rate of those who did not use them. Previous research has linked the use of these products to higher rates of breast and ovarian cancer, fibroids, and aggressive tumor growth.

Despite the concerns, manufacturers continued to promote hair relaxers without clear warnings about the health risks. Alexandra White, the lead author of the NIH study, emphasized that uterine cancer, while rare, is rising among women, especially in the Black community. The impact of these cancers can be devastating—many of the women involved in the lawsuits have had to undergo hysterectomies.

Marnita Ballard, one of the plaintiffs, shared her story of being diagnosed with uterine cancer at 37 and having to undergo a hysterectomy. “It made me feel like my womanhood was taken away,” she said.

L’Oréal’s Role in the Lawsuits

L’Oréal, one of the major manufacturers of hair relaxers, is named in many of the lawsuits. The company released a statement in November 2023 claiming that consumer health and safety are their top priorities. However, environmental advocacy group Environmental Working Group (EWG) has rated L’Oréal’s Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxer with a “health hazard score” of 10 out of 10, indicating serious concerns over its safety.

The lawsuits accuse L’Oréal of falsely marketing hair relaxers as safe, despite knowledge or reasonable suspicion of the harmful chemicals they contain. These cases fall under product liability law, which holds manufacturers accountable for unsafe products that harm consumers.

As of August 1, 2023, over 8,200 cases have been filed, making this one of the fastest-growing mass lawsuits in the past year. The outcome of these lawsuits could lead to significant changes in the regulation and marketing of beauty products, especially those targeting Black women.