Arizona sues L'Oreal over alleged concealment of cancer risks in hair relaxers
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IN SHORT
Arizona has sued L'Oreal SA, alleging the cosmetics company concealed evidence that its hair relaxer products could cause cancer. The lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes, marks the first state-level action over alleged links between hair relaxers and uterine and ovarian cancers, and seeks penalties and damages.
Key Numbers
12,000+similar lawsuits filed against L'Oreal
Who's Involved
Arizona
sued L'Oreal SA over alleged concealment of cancer risks in hair relaxer products
L'Oreal SA
accused of concealing cancer risks linked to its hair relaxer products
Kristin Mayes
Arizona Attorney General who filed the lawsuit
National Institutes of Health
released a 2022 study on hair relaxer cancer risks
Revlon
also named in similar lawsuits over hair relaxer products
↳ Why This Matters
The lawsuit highlights growing legal and regulatory scrutiny over the safety of beauty products, particularly those marketed to specific demographics, and could lead to significant financial penalties and changes in product marketing for L'Oreal and other cosmetic companies.
Key facts
Arizona has sued L'Oreal SA, alleging the company concealed evidence of cancer risks linked to its hair relaxer products.
The lawsuit claims L'Oreal violated state consumer protection laws by marketing the products without warning of alleged ovarian and uterine cancer risks.
Arizona is seeking penalties, damages, and a court order to force L'Oreal to warn consumers or stop selling the products.
The state lawsuit alleges L'Oreal exploited discriminatory beauty standards while prioritizing profit over consumer safety.
L'Oreal faces over 12,000 similar lawsuits consolidated in a Chicago federal court.
A 2022 National Institutes of Health study found women using hair relaxers several times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer.
Arizona has sued L'Oreal SA, alleging the cosmetics giant concealed evidence that its hair relaxer products could cause cancer in women. Filed late Thursday by Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes, the lawsuit is the first by a state over alleged cancer risks linked to hair relaxers. The suit claims L'Oreal violated consumer protection laws by marketing products predominantly used by African American women without warning of potential uterine and ovarian cancer risks.
Arizona is seeking penalties, damages, and a court order compelling L'Oreal to either warn consumers about the risks or cease selling the products. The lawsuit asserts that L'Oreal and associated companies exploited discriminatory beauty standards for profit over safety.
The legal action comes as L'Oreal faces over 12,000 similar lawsuits consolidated in a Chicago federal court. These lawsuits were spurred by a 2022 National Institutes of Health study that found frequent users of hair relaxers were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Revlon and other product makers are also named in these consolidated lawsuits, with Revlon denying a connection between its products and cancer. Court records indicate trials could begin next year.
Frequently asked questions
Hair relaxers are chemical hair straightening products designed to permanently straighten textured hair, often marketed under brands like Dark and Lovely and Optimum.
MDL is a procedure used in the U.S. federal court system to consolidate lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions that share common questions of fact or law, allowing for more efficient pretrial proceedings.
The lawsuits allege links between hair relaxer products and ovarian and uterine cancers.
What Happens Next
01Trials in the multidistrict litigation could begin next year.
How It Developed
Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes filed a lawsuit against L'Oreal SA late Thursday in state court.
The lawsuit accuses L'Oreal of violating state consumer protection laws by marketing hair relaxer products without warning of alleged cancer risks.
Arizona is seeking penalties, damages, and a court order to stop L'Oreal from selling the products without risk warnings.
Sources
T1
Arizona accuses L'Oreal of concealing cancer risks linked to hair relaxersReuters
