Lawsuit Alleges Companies Misled Black Women and Children About Cancer Risks Associated With Chemical Hair Relaxer Products
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — DiCello Levitt LLP is serving as outside counsel to the State of Minnesota in a consumer protection lawsuit filed by Attorney General Keith Ellison against L’Oréal and its subsidiaries, alleging the companies deceptively marketed chemical hair relaxer products to Black women and children while concealing significant cancer risks associated with their use.
“It’s outrageous that L’Oréal marketed these products to Black women and girls as safe when they knew they were not and had a duty to disclose they were not,” Attorney General Ellison said in a press release. “Humans of all ages, genders, and colors are free to do whatever they like with their hair. Women who wish to straighten their hair have a right to choose the products they want to use — but those products must be safe and must not expose them to higher risks of cancer or other hazards. I’m holding L’Oréal accountable for fraudulently marketing their chemical hair relaxers, deceiving Minnesota consumers — especially Black women and girls — for many years, and profiting off that deception.”
“Consumers deserve to know the risks associated with products they use on themselves and their children,” said Dan Ferri, Partner and Co-Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Public Client Practice Group. “Attorney General Ellison is taking important action to protect Minnesotans and hold companies accountable for misleading the public about serious health risks. We are proud to work alongside his office in pursuing this case.”
Filed in Hennepin County District Court, the lawsuit alleges that L’Oréal and its subsidiaries misled consumers about the safety of chemical hair relaxers sold under the Dark and Lovely, Optimum, and Mizani brands. According to the complaint, the companies marketed these products as safe, gentle, and natural while failing to disclose scientific evidence linking their use to increased risks of uterine and ovarian cancer.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies disproportionately targeted Black women and children, including through products marketed to young girls. The State asserts violations of three Minnesota consumer protection laws and seeks civil penalties, consumer restitution, and an injunction requiring adequate warnings about the products’ health risks.
The DiCello Levitt team representing Minnesota includes Adam J. Levitt and Dan Ferri.
The case is State of Minnesota, by its Attorney General, Keith Ellison v. L’Oréal USA, Inc., L’Oréal USA Products, Inc., L’Oréal S.A., L’Oréal USA S/D, Inc., and SoftSheen-Carson LLC, District Court of the State of Minnesota, Fourth Judicial District, Hennepin County. A copy of the complaint is available here.
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