Arizona AG Sues L’Oréal Over Cancer Risk Warnings on Hair Relaxers
Arizona Attorney General sues L’Oréal alleging undisclosed cancer risks in hair relaxers.
Why it matters: The lawsuit spotlights regulatory focus on product safety and racial disparities in consumer protection. It serves as a critical alert for in-house legal teams and regulators overseeing cosmetics and consumer safety laws.
- Arizona AG Kristin Mayes filed the lawsuit on September 11, 2026, against L’Oréal for not disclosing cancer risks linked to hair relaxers.
- The products are marketed primarily to Black women and the $718 million hair relaxer market is part of a $2.5 billion Black hair product segment.
- L’Oréal faces more than 12,000 similar lawsuits consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation in Chicago.
- A 2022 NIH study found chemical hair straightening more than quadrupling uterine cancer risk compared to non-users.
On September 11, 2026, Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal SA accusing the company of concealing evidence that its chemical hair relaxers could cause ovarian and uterine cancers in women. The lawsuit alleges violations of state consumer protection laws by marketing these products without warning consumers about the cancer risks, especially targeting African American women.
Attorney General Mayes highlighted the company’s decades-long marketing to women and children in Black communities, stating that L’Oréal prioritized profits over safety, exploiting historic social pressures and discriminatory beauty standards affecting people of African descent.
The hair relaxer market, valued at $718 million, comprises roughly a quarter of the $2.5 billion hair care products marketed to Black consumers nationally. L’Oréal currently faces a wave of over 12,000 related lawsuits consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation based in Chicago.
Supporting the case, a 2022 study by the National Institutes of Health found that women using chemical hair straighteners more than four times in the past year were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than non-users. These findings have amplified scrutiny on chemical hair products and their safety disclosures.
Arizona has requested financial penalties, damages, and a court order that would require L’Oréal to disclose cancer risks explicitly and halt sales unless proper warnings are provided. This lawsuit is among multiple legal actions reflecting growing regulatory and public concerns about the intersection of consumer product safety and racial disparities in health outcomes.
Legal teams and regulators should monitor this case as it may influence future safety disclosure requirements and shape accountability standards for companies marketing products to historically marginalized communities.
By the numbers:
- $718 million — value of the chemical hair relaxer segment
- $2.5 billion — total market for Black hair products
- 12,000+ — lawsuits against L’Oréal related to hair relaxers
- 2x — increased uterine cancer risk for frequent hair straightener users