The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against L’Oréal USA Inc., its parent company, L’Oréal SA, and hair color and care brand Softsheen.
Revealed Friday, the filing concerns “the advertisement and sale of chemical hair relaxer products” that did not disclose the containment of likely carcinogens or links to an alleged increased risk of cancer, including ovarian, uterine and hormonal cancer. These products are said to be marketed primarily to African American women and children.
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L’Oréal strongly denied the allegations. In a statement sent to WWD, a L’Oréal USA spokesperson wrote: “L’Oréal’s highest priority is the health and well-being 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. We are confident in the safety of SoftSheen-Carson’s products and believe the allegations made in this lawsuit have neither legal nor scientific merit.”
The filing alleges that the company did not provide consumers the necessary protections. “Defendants have failed, and continue to fail, to disclose the material health risks associated with the use of Chemical Hair Relaxer Products and provide warnings necessary to prevent consumer deception, demonstrating a callous disregard for the health of Arizona consumers, particularly women of African descent,” the filing claims.
“Chemical hair relaxer products have been found to contain categories of chemicals that are toxic, or that lead to the formation and release of toxic compounds when applied to the scalp under labeled, customary and/or foreseeable use. These include EDCs such as phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes, diethanolamine, and benzophenones, and chemicals classified by federal and international agencies as known or probable human carcinogens, such as ethylene oxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, and heavy metals,” the filing alleges.
The filing references several studies, including one by Alexandra White, the head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group, which alleged there were links between the use of chemical hair relaxers and a higher risk of cancer.
L’Oréal disputed the primary study in its statement. “The study upon which this lawsuit is based recognized the need for further research and it made no finding of a causal connection between the use of those products and any conditions alleged by the plaintiffs. Tellingly, while the study clearly states that ‘more research is warranted,’ one of the lead researchers of the study has also acknowledged that there could be other potential contributing factors to the health outcomes,” the spokesperson said.
