04.24.23
UK feminist group Level Up has coordinated an open letter in which they call on global beauty company L’Oréal to withdraw its hair straightening products after a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study linked it to an increased risk of cancer.
Furthermore, the campaigners ask the company to invest in research on the long-term use of chemical relaxers, which make hair easier to straighten.
The letter is signed by a coalition of politicians, campaigners and professionals, including Labour MP Dawn Butler; Mandu Reid, the leader of the Women’s Equality party; the peer Lola Young; Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition; author Reni Eddo-Lodge; actor Lolly Adefope; and #MeToo campaigner Marai Larasi.
Dawn Butler commented, “I am all too familiar with these hair-relaxing products. It is deeply worrying that not enough is done to inform everyone using these products of the potentially serious damage that may be caused by long-term use.”
The letter also points out that L’Oréal markets these hair relaxers specifically at Black women, putting them at a “30% increased risk of breast cancer.”
Ikamara Larasi, a campaigner at Level Up, said, “We should all be able to trust that the products we use on our bodies are safe … As one of the biggest brands in the world, we’re calling on L’Oréal to use their resources and power responsibly and listen to Black women.”
Read the full letter, which is addressed to Nicolas Hieroniumus, CEO of L’Oréal Group and Jean Paul Agon, chairman of L’Oréal Group.
In a statement posted online after the first lawsuits were filed, L'Oreal said it is "confident in the safety of our products and believe the recent lawsuits filed against us have no legal merit."
Meanwhile, The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, the umbrella organization that represents cosmetic companies, criticized the NIH study and said the link between hair relaxers and cancer is unfounded.
Furthermore, the campaigners ask the company to invest in research on the long-term use of chemical relaxers, which make hair easier to straighten.
The letter is signed by a coalition of politicians, campaigners and professionals, including Labour MP Dawn Butler; Mandu Reid, the leader of the Women’s Equality party; the peer Lola Young; Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition; author Reni Eddo-Lodge; actor Lolly Adefope; and #MeToo campaigner Marai Larasi.
Dawn Butler commented, “I am all too familiar with these hair-relaxing products. It is deeply worrying that not enough is done to inform everyone using these products of the potentially serious damage that may be caused by long-term use.”
The letter also points out that L’Oréal markets these hair relaxers specifically at Black women, putting them at a “30% increased risk of breast cancer.”
Ikamara Larasi, a campaigner at Level Up, said, “We should all be able to trust that the products we use on our bodies are safe … As one of the biggest brands in the world, we’re calling on L’Oréal to use their resources and power responsibly and listen to Black women.”
Read the full letter, which is addressed to Nicolas Hieroniumus, CEO of L’Oréal Group and Jean Paul Agon, chairman of L’Oréal Group.
Lawsuits Against L’Oréal
In February, at least 57 lawsuits claiming hair relaxer products sold by L’Oréal and other companies caused cancer, and other health problems were consolidated in a Chicago federal court. The lawsuits allege the companies knew their products contained dangerous chemicals but marketed and sold them anyway.In a statement posted online after the first lawsuits were filed, L'Oreal said it is "confident in the safety of our products and believe the recent lawsuits filed against us have no legal merit."
Meanwhile, The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, the umbrella organization that represents cosmetic companies, criticized the NIH study and said the link between hair relaxers and cancer is unfounded.