Arizona sues L’Oréal over alleged concealed cancer risks in hair relaxers

Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes has filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal SA, its US subsidiary, and SoftSheen-Carson, alleging the company violated state consumer protection laws by failing to disclose cancer risks associated with chemical hair relaxers.

The lawsuit claims the products, which are marketed primarily to African American women and children, are linked to increased risks of uterine and ovarian cancers. Arizona alleges the companies knew or should have known about these risks based on emerging research but continued to market the products without adequate warnings.

Arizona is seeking civil penalties, monetary relief, and a court order that would require L’Oréal to include cancer-risk warnings on its products if it continues to sell them. This action makes Arizona the first state to sue over these specific alleged risks. The litigation follows a 2022 National Institutes of Health study and coincides with over 12,000 similar lawsuits consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation proceeding.

L’Oréal has denied the allegations, stating that its products undergo rigorous safety testing and that the claims lack legal and scientific merit. The company maintains that cited studies show associations rather than proving causation.