Why Arizona is Suing L’Oréal Amid Thousands of Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Last week, the state of Arizona added to a heap of litigation claiming certain hair relaxers are tied to cancer.
Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that the state was suing beauty giant L’Oréal for advertising and selling hair relaxers without disclosing potential health risks.
This is not the first lawsuit to be filed over these claims. L’Oréal and other beauty companies are battling thousands of hair relaxer lawsuits brought by women who claim they developed cancer after using those companies’ products.
The Arizona case shines a spotlight on this litigation as it approaches a key juncture.
Arizona Claims L’Oréal Misled Customers on Hair Relaxer Safety
The Arizona lawsuit focuses on claims that L’Oréal’s Dark and Lovely, Optimum and Mizani products were marketed to African American women as “a safe and desirable means of conforming naturally textured hair to prevailing beauty standards,” with no mention of serious health concerns.
A study published in 2022 found that there may be double the risk of uterine cancer among women who frequently use chemical hair relaxers. Past lawsuits claimed that the chemicals used in these products may be absorbed through the scalp.
“L’Oréal knew or should have known about the dangers associated with these toxic hair straightening products,” Mayes said in a statement. “Yet, instead of warning their consumers, they put profits over the safety of women and children. That is unacceptable and we will hold them accountable for it.”
Beauty Companies Face More Than 12,000 Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Arizona’s lawsuit comes as thousands of lawsuits based on similar claims approach a key stage in the litigation process.
More than 12,000 hair relaxer lawsuits have been grouped together into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in federal court.
MDLs place similar cases before the same judge for coordinated legal proceedings. This can help lead to faster, more streamlined results.
The hair relaxer lawsuits are inching closer to bellwether trials, a key milestone that could impact thousands of cases. A bellwether trial serves as a test case. Instead of preparing thousands of cases for trial, a handful of cases considered representative of the broader claims are selected to go before a jury.
The outcomes of bellwether trials are often used as benchmarks to influence wider settlement talks. The MDL is narrowing the bellwether pool to five cases that could advance to trial as early as next year.