Big beauty brands like L'Oréal must remove toxic ingredients from hair relaxers. The price of Black women's beauty should never be our health.

For years, Black women have used hair relaxers – a cream that straightens our curls and coils. This week, Oxford University published a shocking study that found that Black women who repeatedly use hair relaxers containing a chemical called lye are at a 30% increased risk of breast cancer. 

Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a heavy-duty chemical used to unblock drains.

Brands including L’Oreal, Revlon and Motions all sell products that include lye – and some of these products are targeted at young girls. 

It’s time to demand that all beauty brands remove lye and other hydroxides from their hair products.

Why is this important?

Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a heavy-duty chemical used to unblock drains. It's also a key ingredient, alongside other harmful hydroxides, in big brand hair relaxers used by Black women. A long-term scientific study has shown that its repeated use is connected to serious health effects, including breast cancer.

Even products that are marketed as "no lye"– but still contain harmful hydroxides including calcium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide – have been linked to hair loss and scalp burns. It's time to demand #NoMoreLyes in Black hair products

As long as these products are still being sold, Black women are at risk of serious health conditions. It’s time to demand that all beauty brands remove lye and other harmful hydroxides from their hair products.

You can read and sign our our open letter to L'ORÈAL here ?️

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Started this petition 3 years ago

1,052 Comments

Anonymous
Anonymous

I’m signing because this is the right thing to do. We shouldn’t have to be campaigning for something as obvious as this… Companies need to do better

Libby cooper
Libby cooper

SELLING THESE IS WRONG !!!simple as

vicki turner
vicki turner

image is not everything

Victoria
Victoria

Cancer causing chemicals have no place in beauty products, or any product humans repeatedly use.

Tameka Brown
Tameka Brown

This is downright wrong knowing this can cause harm too many people they need too do something about this immediately looks too me like it will be plenty lawsuits

Camilla Marcus-Dew
Camilla Marcus-Dew

Wow. Not ok. Once this is known, don’t cover it up. Take action. Have integrity.

Julia Williams
Julia Williams

Appalling that these companies are still happy to exploit others, for the sake of profit. The minimum should be a warning sign, of the risks associated with use of these products (for all to see), and heavy fines for non -compliance.

Maddie Beeson
Maddie Beeson

Harmful chemicals have no place in any beauty products. We should be able to trust that by using a product from one of these companies peoples health won’t be at risk as a consequence.

Elaine Christopher
Elaine Christopher

Get the poisons out of products.

Alexis Broad
Alexis Broad

Products should not threaten health

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