L’Oréal urged to withdraw hair relaxers after studies find cancer risk

British campaigners and MPs called for L’Oréal to invest in research on the long-term use of chemical relaxers, which make hair easier to straighten. Photograph: Kehinde Akinbo/Alamy

Campaigners are calling on the cosmetics company L’Oréal to withdraw its hair-straightening products that are largely used by black women after research linked it to an increased risk of cancer.

In an open letter, coordinated by the UK feminist group Level Up, campaigners also ask the company to invest in research on the long-term use of chemical relaxers, which make hair easier to straighten.