Aerosol dry shampoo sprays and hair straightening products have become items of everyday use for women around the world. But even the best hair straightening products have a flip side: They can increase your risk of cancer. Many brands have come under fire for releasing and marketing hair products that can make women more vulnerable to various types of cancer. Popular brand names like Dove, L’Oreal and Tresemme have made it to the list of items you should avoid stocking up on.
British multinational company Unilever recently recalled Dove, Tresemme, Tigi, Nexus and Suave Aerosol Dry Shampoos in the US. These hair products were recalled because they were contaminated with benzene. Benzene is considered to be carcinogenic. Product recall refers only to items made prior to October of the previous year. The move comes after an independent analytical laboratory named Valisure found carcinogenic in hair products. Benzene was previously found in personal care products from P&G, Johnson & Johnson and Edgewell. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that exposure to benzene can cause leukemia and other blood cancers.
Apparently, aerosol hair sprays are in the red. But what about hair straightening products?
They are not even out of the woods. A Missouri woman recently sued L’Oréal, a French cosmetic company, alleging that using her hair-straightening products caused her to develop uterine cancer. The plaintiffs accuse L’Oreal of deliberately marketing its hair straightening products to black women, failing to warn them of its risks. They claim that the company has been aware of the presence of potentially hazardous chemicals in its products since at least 2015.
The lawsuit was filed days after a study by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS) suggested that hair straightening products may substantially increase the risk of uterine cancer among regular users . Uterine cancer, although rare, is the most common gynecological cancer in the US. Its rates are rising, especially among black women. In this context, the NIEHS study is more relevant for black women who often use hair relaxers, straighteners and other such products because of societal pressure.
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