January 24, 2023 — A woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent a hysterectomy has filed a hair relaxer lawsuit against L’Oreal and other beauty companies.
The lawsuit was filed by Tamara S., a woman from Missouri who blames her development of ovarian cancer on exposure to chemicals in hair relaxers.
She used multiple products to straighten her hair, including Dark & Lovely, Optimum, Motions, Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Olive Oil Relaxer, Soft & Beautiful, TCB, and African Pride.
She was first exposed to the chemicals in these products in 1991, when she was just 16 years old.
After years of using hair relaxers, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February 2010 at the age of 35, according to her lawsuit.
In March 2010, she underwent a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries). She required another surgery later that year, in June 2010.
She also underwent numerous rounds of chemotherapy in 2013, and then more chemotherapy in June 2022.
The lawsuit was filed against several major beauty companies, including L’Oreal, SoftSheen-Carson, Strength of Nature, and Namaste Laboratories.
These companies are accused of aggressively marketing hair relaxers toward Black women, while failing to warn customers about the health hazards of being exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
The lawsuit lists several toxic chemicals that are commonly found in hair-straightening products, such as phthalates and DEHP. These chemicals are linked to several hormone-sensitive health problems in women, including uterine cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, and more.
Her lawsuit was filed on January 11, 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri — Case Number 4:23-cv-00023-LMC.
Do I have a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
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