Missouri Woman Sues L’Oreal Paris Over Possible Cancer-Causing Chemical Hair Straightening Products

Cosmetics company L'Oreal Paris and partner companies, Namaste Laboratories LLC, Dabur International Ltd., and Godrej Consumer Products are at the center of a lawsuit that alleges women who use their chemical hair straightening products are at an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.

The lawsuit was brought forward by civil rights attorney Ben Crump with the assistance of counsel Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois on behalf of Missouri resident 32-year-old Jenny Mitchell.

During a press conference, Mitchell and her legal team outlined the claims of their lawsuit. Mitchell details that it was around third grade that she began using chemical hair relaxers to straighten her hair.

In August 2018, Mitchell found out that she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. A little over one month later, she underwent a full hysterectomy. During the press conference, Mitchell explained, “At that time, at the age of 28, my dreams of becoming a mother were gone.”

Mitchell went on to share, “As most young African-American girls, chemical relaxers, chemical straighteners were introduced to us at a young age.” She added, “Society has made it a norm to look a certain way, in order to feel a certain way. And I am the first voice of many voices to come that will stand, stand up to these companies, and say, ‘No more.’”

In the lawsuit, Mitchell claims that there is no history of uterine cancer in her family. Instead, she puts the blame on the chemical hair straighteners she used throughout her childhood and early adult years.

The lawsuit comes days after a study was released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study identified that chemicals used in hair straightening products were linked to higher rates of uterine cancer among women.

The study followed 33,497 women over the span of 11 years. After the study, 378 cases of uterine cancer were diagnosed. The study found that women who used chemical hair straightening products like hair relaxers were twice as likely to go on to develop uterine cancer as opposed to women who did not use the products.

According to the study, 1.64% of women who never use chemical hair straightening products would go on to develop uterine cancer. For women who used chemical hair straightening products frequently, that number jumped up to 4.05%. The lead author of the study, Alexandra White, Ph.D., Shared, “This doubling rate is concerning. However, it is important to put this information into context - uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer.”

The study did not name any specific brands or companies when referencing the chemical hair straightening products.

Mitchell is the first woman to be represented in a lawsuit touting these claims. The lawsuit alleges that Mitchell's cancer “was directly and proximately caused by her regular and prolonged exposure to phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in defendants’ hair care products.”

Notable civil rights attorney Ben Crump has also detailed that Mitchell and other black women are more likely to suffer as detailed by the results of the newly released study.

“Black women have long been the victims of dangerous products specifically marketed to them,” Crumb shared in a news release. “Black hair has been and always will be beautiful, but Black women have been told they have to use these products to meet society’s standards. We will likely discover that Ms. Mitchell’s tragic case is one of countless cases in which companies aggressively misled black women to increase their profits.”

Mitchell is seeking in excess of $75,000 in damages. Debrosse Zimmermann shared during the press conference, “We imagine that we will continue representing additional women in filing cases, as will other firms, and more and more women will come forward.”