According to The Street, What was once seen as a routine part of beauty care for many consumers has now transformed into a potentially deadly nightmare. Chemical hair relaxers, used by millions to straighten curly hair, are at the center of thousands of lawsuits filed in federal court, raising serious concerns about the safety of these products.
A Billion-Dollar Industry with Dangerous Consequences
The hair care industry, including chemical relaxers, is a lucrative business with over 10.5 million annual consumers in the U.S. alone. The market generates tens of billions of dollars in profits, but now, many Black women are suing the makers of these hair relaxers for alleged health risks.
The Controversial History of Hair Relaxers
Chemical hair relaxers have been around since the early 1900s and were hailed as a revolutionary product for hair management. However, the success of this industry reflects an unfortunate reality: societal pressure has often forced Black women to straighten their natural hair to fit into professional environments.
One woman involved in the lawsuit, as featured in an NBC News segment, remarked, “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 revealed that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as “unprofessional” compared to white women’s hair. The study also found that:
- 66% of Black women change their hair for job interviews.
- 41% of Black women straighten their hair for professional settings.
- 54% believe they must straighten their hair to succeed in interviews.
- 25% feel they have been denied an interview because of their hair.
Societal Pressure and Eurocentric Beauty Standards
The lawsuit alleges that many women used relaxers due to societal expectations. Some used them because they felt pressured by employers, while others followed the lead of family and friends or were influenced by the glossy advertisements promoting Eurocentric beauty ideals.
Magazines, TV ads, and storefront displays feature beautiful women with silky, straight hair, promising “salon-worthy, silky, smooth hair” for a price as low as $7.49. But behind the allure of these products lies an alleged failure to disclose their potential health risks.
The Health Risks of Chemical Hair Relaxers
The health dangers linked to hair relaxers have come to light through various studies. A 2022 National Institutes of Health (NIH) study revealed that women who regularly used hair relaxers had more than double the risk of developing uterine cancer compared to non-users. Additionally, previous research has found a connection between relaxer chemicals and higher rates of breast and ovarian cancer, fibroids, and more aggressive tumor growth.
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“This doubling rate is concerning,” said Alexandra White, head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group and lead author of the NIH study. “However, it is important to put this information into context — uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer.”
Nevertheless, the rising incidence of uterine cancer in the U.S., particularly among Black women, is alarming. In an NBC news segment, five plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit shared their experiences. When asked how many of them had to undergo hysterectomies due to uterine cancer, all five women raised their hands. Each of them had used hair relaxers throughout their lives.
One of the plaintiffs, Marnita Ballard, shared the emotional toll of her cancer diagnosis at age 37, saying, “It made me feel like my womanhood was taken away.”
L’Oréal’s Role and Growing Legal Action
L’Oréal, a major player in the cosmetics industry, is facing significant scrutiny as part of the lawsuit. In November 2023, L’Oréal stated that “the health and wellbeing of all our consumers” is its highest priority. Despite this, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that L’Oréal’s Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxer scored a 10 out of 10 on their health hazard scale, raising concerns about the safety of the product.
The lawsuits allege that L’Oréal and other companies marketed their hair relaxers as safe, despite knowing—or having reason to know—that these products contained harmful chemicals. The legal actions are part of product liability law, which holds manufacturers responsible for defective or dangerous products.
As of August 1, there are more than 8,200 active cases, making this one of the fastest-growing mass lawsuits in recent years.
Conclusion
As the lawsuits continue to unfold, the beauty industry is under intense scrutiny for the safety of its products. For thousands of Black women, what started as a simple beauty routine has turned into a battle for justice, with their health and well-being on the line. The outcome of these cases could reshape the future of beauty standards and consumer protection in the industry.
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