Cosmetics giants in court in the USA
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in the USA against L'Oreal, Revlon and other cosmetics manufacturers. Their chemical hair straightening products are suspected of being carcinogenic. The companies are also alleged to have failed to warn their customers of the risks.
Cosmetics giants L'Oreal and Revlon, along with other manufacturers, are facing more than 8,000 lawsuits in the USA over the potential cancer risks of their chemical hair straightening products. The plaintiffs have presented sufficient evidence that the companies acted negligently, designed the products incorrectly and failed to warn customers of the risks, US District Judge Mary Rowland in Illinois ruled in favor of allowing the lawsuits to proceed.
The lawsuits also involve a number of smaller cosmetics companies, including some based in India. L'Oréal and Revlon did not initially respond to requests for comment. The products, which contain chemicals to permanently straighten textured hair, are sold primarily to African-American women. The first lawsuits were filed after a study by the National Institutes of Health in October 2022 found that women who used the products several times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer.
After the first lawsuits came to light, L'Oreal stated that it was "confident in the safety of our products and believes that the lawsuits recently filed against us have no legal basis". A Revlon representative had previously stated that the company did not believe that science established a link between chemical hair straightening products and cancer.
In response to the health concerns, several cosmetics companies, including L'Oreal and Revlon, are facing legal challenges in Illinois, USA, for their alleged role in promoting carcinogenic chemical hair straightening products. Despite denials of any link between the products and cancer, over 8,000 lawsuits have now been authorized to proceed in the USA.
These controversies have also impacted other cosmetics manufacturers, including some based in India, as thousands of individuals seek justice for potential health issues related to the use of these hair straightening products.
Source: www.ntv.de
