Lawyers representing two women in a $5 million class action lawsuit against L’Oréal over its allegedly damaging relaxer are reportedly seeking a product recall.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in September, claim they experienced extreme hair loss after using L’Oréal’s SoftSheen-Carson Optimum Amla Legend No-Mix, No-Lye Relaxer, a perm product marketed to black women.
TMZ reports:
L’Oréal fired back in docs, saying its packaging warns this very danger, and clearly instructs consumers on how to use it safely.
Ben Meiselas and Mark Geragos, who rep the alleged victims, say that’s a load of BS … and add L’Oréal is admitting the product has dangerous chemicals, despite advertising it “protects the scalp and skin.”
The plaintiffs’ complaint states in part: “A host of consumer complaints on the internet, including L’Oréal’s own webpages, report that the Amla Relaxer results in disturbing and distressing injuries including hair loss and breakage, as well scalp irritation, blisters and burns.”
Plenty of beauty companies have profited from relaxers designed to chemically alter black women’s hair textures for centuries, often with damaging results. But trying to find the company liable seems like a tough legal battle since these brands can always argue that their products come with warning labels. A spokesperson for L’Oréal previously told BuzzFeed, “We do not believe the allegations in this lawsuit have merit. For more than 100 years, L’Oréal has been committed to the safety of its consumers.”
