L’Oreal Wants Amla Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit Tossed

L’Oreal is fighting back against a consumer class action lawsuit alleging the cosmetics company’s Amla hair relaxer causes hair loss, stating the product’s label clearly and repeatedly warns users of the risk of injury.

Amla Legend No-Mix Relaxer is a type of chemical at-home hair straightener manufactured by SoftSheen-Carson, a division of L’Oreal USA.

The relaxer is supposed to chemically alter very curly or tightly coiled hair, making it easier to straighten, style, and manage. In addition to “relaxing” the structure of the hair shaft, L’Oreal’s Amla Relaxer is promoted to nourish and condition the scalp with vitamins and minerals.

On Thursday, L’Oreal told a California federal judge that the plaintiffs’ claims are “unreasonable interpretations,” pointing out that the complaint omitted references to the numerous safety warnings on the exterior of the Amla hair relaxer’s packaging.

These warnings, according to L’Oreal, explicitly warn about the possibility of serious injury to a user’s skin and eyes, and that it may cause damage or permanent hair loss.

L’Oreal argued that they have not concealed the caustic nature of Amla hair relaxer, but instead have provided adequate warnings of the product’s ingredients, including alkali – a corrosive chemical compound. In fact, L’Oreal states, the label tells Amla relaxer users to wear gloves throughout the treatment process and to keep the relaxer off the scalp and skin areas.

The cosmetics company said that the plaintiffs are simply theorizing that a reasonable consumer would infer the relaxer’s packaging and its warnings to mean that the product is a “safe, nourishing and gentle” alternative to lye-based relaxers and is less likely to cause irritation or be harsh on hair or skin.

“However, the packaging contains no such representation that the relaxer is any safer or less injurious than other chemical hair-straightening products, and nowhere does the complaint cite one,” L’Oreal wrote. “Moreover, the packaging’s repeated warnings of the relaxer’s capacity to cause injuries renders it unreasonable for plaintiffs or others to give the various representations challenged in the complaint the collective interpretation the complaint suggests.”

In September, plaintiffs Sharon Manier and Dorothy Riles filed the class action lawsuit against L’Oreal in California federal court, claiming that the Amla relaxer caused serious damage to their hair – with injuries ranging from hair falling out to severe burns and bald spots.

According to court documents, Manier and Riles say many other women suffered the same hair issues after using the Amla relaxer. In addition to the women’s accusations, the lawsuit lists several reviews complaining about poor results.

The chemical hair straightener contains amla oil, which reportedly stimulates hair growth and strengthens it. But according to the class action lawsuit, the relaxer “contains hardly any Amla oil at all. The true ingredients in the Amla Relaxer are a dangerous mix of irritants and potentially toxic chemicals.”

Riles claimed after using the product she had scabs on her scalp and several bald patches. She resorted to wearing wigs to cover the hair loss and continues to cope with damaged, thinning hair as a result of using Amla hair relaxer.

Once Manier used the product, she “immediately experienced scalp irritation.” Now suffering from hair loss, she is wearing hair pieces and relying on expensive hair vitamins to help generate growth.

In addition to the women’s accusations, the proposed class action lawsuit lists several reviews complaining about poor results.

The women are seeking to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased L’Oreal’s Amla hair relaxer along with two subclasses of consumers in Illinois and California.

This is not the first time L’Oreal has faced legal action over its Amla hair relaxer. Back in August, three women filed a similar class action in New York federal court against the cosmetics company and SoftSheen-Carson.

The plaintiffs in this case allege L’Oreal was aware of the problems associated with its Amla Relaxer as far back as three years ago and that the company paid off users who posted negative reviews.

Specifically, the lawsuit says L’Oreal paid expenses related to users’ alleged hair damage and other injuries, including medical treatments and wigs but failed to pull the product from the shelves or to change the marketing claims that the hair relaxer is a safer alternative to other lye-containing straighteners.

Manier and the proposed Class are represented by Mark J. Geragos and Ben J. Meiselas of Geragos & Geragos APC and Lori G. Feldman, Andrea Clisura and Courtney E. Maccarone of Levi & Korsinsky LLP.

The L’Oreal Amla Relaxer Defective Product Class Action Lawsuit is Manier, et al. v. L’Oreal USA Inc., et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-06886, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: Feb. 22, 2017, a new L’Oreal Amla Hair Relaxer class action will be added to multiple lawsuits that have been consolidated and transferred to multidistrict litigation.

UPDATE 2: On April 3, 2018, a judge tossed most claims in a multidistrict litigation claiming that L’Oreal’s Amla Legend Rejuvenating Ritual Relaxer kit is unsafe.