SAN DIEGO — Black beauty products are at the center of a legal battle. In particular, the chemicals used and whether they can cause cancer.
Black beauty experts on Thursday launched Relaxer Advocates, a national organization to defend hair straightening products, arguing that the claims in these lawsuits are baseless.
“Relaxation pills don’t cause cancer!” said Lorenzo Griffin. “We are here today to speak out against lies upon lies,” LaDosha Wright added. “Lawyers, please take your hands off our legacy,” said Cheryl Morrow.
Relaxer advocacy groups are prepared to appear in court as expert witnesses in a class-action lawsuit alleging that certain beauty products cause cancer.
These beauty experts argued that their claims were false and harmful to Black-owned hair care companies. They said the allegations were unwarranted and the research was inconclusive.
“No law firm can be richer than the generations of African American beauty entrepreneurs who have worked to build the strongest beauty industry in the world,” Morrow said.
She is the daughter of Willie Morrow, the hair care pioneer who popularized the “Afro pick” and Jheri curl.
“My resolve is not to see this industry disappear under lies like this. We all want security and that is why we were formed. “We will not sit back and allow research companies with no chemical knowledge to advance this discussion,” she said.
In 2016, the FDA began an effort to ban formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is one of the main ingredients claimed to be effective in straightening curly hair.
“Black women are synonymous with sodium hydroxide, not formaldehyde,” Morrow said.
In 2022, the National Cancer Institute published a study that found that the use of hair straightening products was associated with an increased risk of developing uterine cancer, and that these products are more easily absorbed through the scalp. he added.
Theo Garfield, also a member of Relaxer Advocates, said: “I’ve seen people have negative reactions due to lack of training and education. These products should not be sold to anyone other than professionals. ” added Griffin. They should only be sold to licensed cosmologists. ”
Relaxer advocacy groups said this is because a base cream must be applied to prevent chemicals from penetrating the scalp. They would also like to see an increase in the number of hours required to learn about black products in beauty schools.
“When you’re talking about curling irons, you’re not colloquially talking about relaxers, you’re putting black women’s faces in litigation,” Morrow added.
The FDA plans to issue updates on certain chemicals in April 2024.
Related Video: Dr. Willie Morrow: San Diego’s Black Hair Care Pioneer
