L’Oreal USA was sued on Friday by an American woman who used chemical hair straightening products and then developed uterine cancer, according to her attorney.
Jenny Mitchell, the woman, claimed in the civil action that she had used the items for more than 20 years before developing uterine cancer, which required her to have a full hysterectomy.
The lawsuit was filed only a few days after a study linking the use of chemical hair straightening products with uterine cancer was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to the study, women who used the items more frequently than four times annually had a more than the two-fold increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
Uterine cancer is very uncommon, although it is becoming more common in America, particularly among Black women.
Ben Crump, a personal injury lawyer for Mitchell, stated in a statement that “Black women have long been the targets of hazardous items that are intentionally marketed to them.”
In the legal claim filed on Friday, L’Oreal, a major French cosmetics company, is one of the defendants and is being sued for damages.
According to Crump, “we will probably find that Ms. Mitchell’s terrible situation is just one of countless instances when firms actively mislead Black women to enhance their profits.”
In regards to the lawsuit, L’Oreal did not respond right away.
