“UK Feminist Group Calls for L’Oréal to Withdraw Hair Straightening Products Linked to Increased Cancer Risk: Level Up’s Campaign Raises Concerns Over Chemical Hair Straighteners Containing Sodium Hydroxide, Found to Cause Cervical and Breast Cancer According to Studies by US National Institutes of Health and Oxford University”

2023-04-25 12:32:43

In the UK, feminist group Level Up has published an open letter about hair straightening creams, demanding. The activists are calling on the cosmetics group L’Oréal to withdraw its hair straightening products, which are mainly used by black women, from the market. They justify this with studies that have established a connection with an increased risk of cancer, reports the British Guardian.

smoothing creams and cancer research

Group Level Up’s campaign follows research suggesting a link between the use of chemical hair straighteners containing lye, also known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, and cancer. In a 2022 research, the US National Institutes of Health was found that women who use this type of product several times a year, a are more than twice as likely to develop cervical cancer.

Also in 2021, a study by the University of Oxford has one Association between frequent use of alkaline relaxers and breast cancer established. The study also found little evidence of an association between general use of hair relaxers and breast cancer risk.

Which substance in smoothing creams is so dangerous?

Incidentally, caustic straightening creams are chemical hair straighteners that contain sodium hydroxide. These agents are also referred to as “alkaline” hair straighteners. The US company Certified Lye has also pointed out to its customers that “Substances with large amounts of lye can cause chemical burns, permanent injuries or scars and blindness. Lye, which is sodium hydroxide, can be harmful or fatal if swallowedreports that Rosa Magazine.

In addition to calling for the products to be withdrawn from the market, the group is also calling for further studies on hair straightening creams without sodium hydroxide.

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That’s what the companies say

In February, they were in federal court in Chicago nearly 60 lawsuits filedwhich claim that the hair relaxants sold by L’Oréal and other companies cause cancer and other health problems.

A spokesman for the company L’Oréal told the Guardian that their top priority is the health, well-being and safety of all their consumers.

„We are convinced of the safety of our products. Wand believe that the recent lawsuits filed against us in the United States have no legal basis. L’Oréal adheres to the highest safety standards for all of its products. Our products undergo a rigorous scientific evaluation of their safety by experts:within subjected. These also ensure that we strictly follow all regulations in every market in which we operate.“