- Arizona AG Kris Mayes has filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against L’Oréal USA, Inc., its parent company. and Softsheen concerning the marketing and sale of chemical hair relaxer products. The lawsuit alleges that the companies failed to disclose information about chemicals in the products that have been classified as known or likely carcinogens or have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, including ovarian and uterine cancers.
- Chemical hair relaxers are highly alkaline, hydroxide-based class of products that work to straighten spiral-shaped keratin molecules and do this by breaking and reforming the disulfide bonds that form the hair’s spiral texture. These products contain categories of chemicals that the AG alleges are toxic, or that lead to the formation of toxic compounds when applied to the scalp under customary and/or foreseeable use, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), phthalates, parabens, and other chemicals classified by federal and international agencies as known or probable human carcinogens.
- AG Mayes notes that multiple epidemiological studies have demonstrated that women who use these chemical hair relaxers have a significantly higher risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancer as well as other hormonal cancers like thyroid and pancreatic cancer.