Kenya’s Senate has initiated an inquiry into the alleged sale of potentially harmful L’Oréal beauty products. This decision comes after Senator Mohamed Chute submitted a petition to the Senate Committee of Health, urging an investigation into the sale of products like “harmful hair relaxers and bleaching substances” by L’Oréal.
Senator Chute, representing Marsabit County, called for an examination into whether L’Oréal’s hair relaxers and bleaching substances contain carcinogenic ingredients like formaldehyde. He also called on the committee to determine if the company provides adequate consumer protection by clearly labeling the chemicals used in their products and conducting risk assessments to minimize the risk of allergic reactions upon human contact.
Chute also urged the committee, led by Senator Jackson Mandago, to gather information on complaints from individuals experiencing adverse effects after using L’Oréal beauty products and to provide data on any compensations awarded, if applicable.
Furthermore, he advocated for an examination into the legality of these products on the market and whether they disproportionately affect the black African population. The Senate Committee of Health in Kenya has 60 days to investigate these allegations and present their findings to the Senate for review.
At the beginning of last year, American consumers initiated lawsuits against L’Oréal’s hair relaxers products. Almost 60 lawsuits alleging that hair relaxer products sold by L’Oréal and other companies lead to cancer and other health issues will be combined into a single case in a federal court in Chicago, as per an order from the US judicial panel on multidistrict litigation issued.
According to court records, a minimum of 57 lawsuits have been filed in federal courts nationwide concerning these products, which utilize chemicals to permanently straighten textured hair. The lawsuits claim that the companies were aware of the presence of hazardous chemicals in their products but chose to market and sell them regardless.
Following the initial filing of lawsuits, L’Oréal released a statement online expressing confidence in the safety of their products and asserting that they believe the lawsuits lack legal merit.
