Arizona Sues L'Oréal Over Alleged Concealment of Cancer Risks in Hair Relaxers

Arizona has filed a lawsuit against L'Oréal USA, Inc., its parent company L'Oréal S.A., and the brand SoftSheen, alleging the beauty giant concealed evidence that its hair relaxer products could cause cancer in women. The lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes on Thursday, marks the first time a state has sued over the alleged cancer risks associated with these products.

The suit accuses L'Oréal of violating state consumer protection laws by marketing hair relaxer products without warning consumers about their potential links to ovarian and uterine cancers. Chemical hair relaxers, which are used to straighten curly hair, are primarily marketed to and used by Black women and contain ingredients such as phthalates, parabens, and chemicals classified as known or probable human carcinogens.

"L'Oréal knew or should have known about the dangers associated with these toxic hair straightening products," Mayes stated. "Yet, instead of warning their consumers, they put profits over the safety of women and children. That is unacceptable and we will hold them accountable for it."

The state is seeking penalties and damages, as well as a court order compelling L'Oréal to add cancer warnings to the products or remove them from shelves. The lawsuit asserts that L'Oréal "marketed and sold toxic chemical hair relaxers to women and girls of African descent while concealing the devastating carcinogenic risks associated with those products," exploiting "centuries of social pressures and discriminatory beauty standards affecting people of African descent."

L'Oréal faces over 12,000 similar lawsuits from consumers who have used its hair relaxer products. These cases are consolidated in a Chicago federal court. In response, a L'Oréal spokesperson stated, "L'Oréal’s highest priority is the health and wellbeing of all our consumers. Our products are subject to a rigorous scientific evaluation of their safety by experts who also ensure that we strictly follow all regulations in every market in which we operate."

The company expressed confidence in the safety of SoftSheen-Carson's products, calling the lawsuit's allegations "neither legal nor scientific merit." The spokesperson also noted that the study forming the basis of the lawsuit acknowledged the need for further research and did not establish a causal connection between product use and the alleged health outcomes.

The wave of lawsuits gained momentum following a 2022 National Institutes of Health study. This study found that women who used hair straightening or relaxer products several times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Researchers from Emory University analyzed data from over 50,000 U.S. women for this study, which also examined links between hair product use and other cancers.

Compared to non-users, women who used hair straighteners or relaxers showed a significantly higher risk of pancreatic cancer (166 percent), thyroid cancer (71 percent), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (62 percent). Frequent users, defined as those using the products more than four times annually, experienced a more than doubled risk of pancreatic cancer and elevated risks for thyroid cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A possible link to kidney cancer was also noted.

Experts have long expressed concerns about formaldehyde, a known carcinogen present in some chemical hair-straightening treatments. Formaldehyde can off-gas from products, and repeated inhalation of these fumes has been linked to various health issues, including an increased risk of head and neck cancers, as well as leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society.