The panel of women, spearheaded by Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman, included attorney Heather Palmore, Tonya Cantlo, president of the Greater Queens (NY) Chapter of The Links (its mandate is to “enhance the quality of life in our community through our volunteer community service programs”) and two health experts: Linda Bulone, Research Nurse Manager and Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president of the Health and Wellness Council of Long Island. The panelists have much in common: they grew up using hair relaxers.In 2022, attorney Palmore filed a nationwide class action lawsuit against hair relaxer companies after reading a study titled: “Chemicals in personal care products cause harmful effects in breast cancer cells from Black women” and conducted by the Endocrine Society that found a link with hair relaxers and endocrine disruptors. Her lawsuit, like so many complaints filed since 2022, claims that these chemicals, such as formaldehyde, are linked to reproductive cancers; product manufacturers falsely advertised the safety of their products; and they marketed those products to women and children of color. For instance, some claimants started using Just For Me, a chemical relaxer advertised to Black girls as young as four, and those women may have been using that product for almost 40 years.
According to the newspaper QNS, Palmore explained to the audience that the litigation is an intersection of beauty, consumer health, and law and justice. “It raises concern about product safety, our regulators, the FDA, and their role or their hands-off approach to this,” she said. Palmore also said that hair relaxers are not regulated by the FDA, which is supposed to ensure that corporations are responsible for the products they sell to be safe.
As of December, more than 8,000 claimants have joined Palmore’s lawsuit, but some women have already died from cancer. To be eligible to join her lawsuit, the interested party or a family member must have an ovarian, uterine, or endometrial cancer diagnosis, have used hair relaxer products within the last 10 years, and have used the products for at least 4 times a year. Palmore added that many of her clients are unfortunately deceased. “I get people who come to me all the time who say my mother passed away five years ago. Does she qualify? Absolutely,” she told QNS.
At the Queens event, Alicia Hyndman discussed Assembly Bill A2635, which she introduced in 2020. It requires hair relaxer products to display labels when they contain certain dangerous chemicals, just like the surgeon general warning on cigarettes. Hyndman, along with other panelists, emphasized the importance of encouraging younger black women to go with natural hairstyles. Palmore added to the topic: “I encouraged [my niece] not to get a perm, wear her hair natural, think of protective styles to wear…and she doesn’t have to worry about undoing the damage. At least having labels on a product will give you a choice.”
And coming from a clinical research perspective, Linda Bulone shared with the audience how important it is to conduct studies on the link between relaxer usage and reproductive cancer in Black women. “We do need participation, and forums like this are very helpful because not only does it help to get bills passed, the warning needs to be put on these products at the very least, if not, have them taken off the market once we get more evidence,” she said, and reported by QNS.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Update
Another lawsuit was filed December 16th in MDL-2060 by an Illinois woman. Her complaint in the Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, claims that prolonged use of chemical hair relaxer products manufactured and marketed by companies such as L’Oréal USA, Beauty Bell Enterprises LLC, SoftSheen-Carson LLC, Strength of Nature LLC, and House of Cheatham LLC caused her to develop uterine cancer.
The plaintiff detailed in her complaint the hair relaxer products she used since the 1990s, including “Herbal Intensive No-Lye Relaxer System,” “Originals Olive Oil Conditioning Relaxer,” and “Dark and Lovely Healthy Gloss 5 Shea Moisture No-Lye Relaxer, all of which she claims contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to reproductive cancers and other serious health issues. According to her lawsuit, the hair relaxer makers failed to warn consumers of the potential dangers associated with their products, despite mounting scientific evidence connecting chemical relaxers to increased risks of reproductive health issues. She seeks compensatory and punitive damages, claiming the defendants misrepresented the safety of their products and put profit over public health.