Cosmetologist Hair Dye Lawsuit Claims Salon Worker Developed Bladder Cancer After Working With L’Oreal, Redken, Other Products

Lawsuit claims the cosmetics industry has known about hair dye bladder cancer risks since at least the 1970s, yet misled the public into believing they had removed the responsible chemicals.

An Oregon cosmetologist has filed a lawsuit against several cosmetics companies, alleging she developed bladder cancer after years of working with their products in hair salons.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Frances Loscar in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on April 14, and was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York the same day. The lawsuit names Kao USA Inc., L’Oreal USA Inc. L’Oreal USA Products Inc., Henkel, KGaA, Joico and Pravana as defendants.

Loscar, who has been a cosmetologist for more than 30 years, points to research dating back to the 1970s indicating many hair dyes contained mutagenic compounds linked to cancer. She alleges manufacturers misled the public about reformulations while continuing to sell unsafe products.

Hair Dye Cancer Risks

Despite being widely used worldwide for decades, recent research has raised concerns over the potential cancer risks of long-term exposure to hair dye chemicals.

One large meta-analysis, involving data from dozens of occupational studies, found that hair dressers and salon workers faced a 30% higher overall risk of bladder cancer, which increased to 70% higher for hairdressers who have worked in the field for a decade or more.

As a result of these findings, Loscar joins others in her profession who are pursuing hair dye bladder cancer lawsuits against various manufacturers, indicating the companies knew or should have known that long-term exposure to their products increased the salon workers’ possibility of developing cancer. However, the filings claim that the companies failed to provide adequate warnings or instructions on how to effectively mitigate those risks.

Cosmetologist Bladder Cancer Allegations

In the complaint, Loscar indicates she became a licensed cosmetologist in 1992, and worked throughout her career at numerous salons, both independent and franchises, including Russell’s Red Carpet Salon, Apollo Salon and A Cut Above Salon.

During her tenure, Loscar claims she has handled hair dye brands including Goldwell, L’Oreal, Redken, Matrix, Pravana and Joico among others. All of those products omitted important risk information from their labels, she claims.

The lawsuit notes that scientific research published as early as 1975, 17 years before Loscar became a cosmetologist, found that nearly 90% of hair dyes were mutagenic, meaning they could cause damage to DNA that could result in cancer development. At that time, manufacturers claimed they would change their formulations. However, researchers found that little had changed in a 1994 study. Since that time, numerous other researchers have continued to find an association between hair dye exposure and bladder cancer diagnoses.

“Carcinogenic aromatic amines supposedly removed by manufacturers at this time were 4-aminobiphenyl, o-toluidine, benzidine, and 2-naphthylamine, among many others. However, it is now conclusively proven that manufacturers knowingly, deliberately and recklessly failed to remove carcinogenic aromatic amines from their hair dye products.”

– Frances Loscar v. Kao USA Inc. et al

Loscar’s own bladder cancer diagnosis came in August 2023, after 31 years in the industry. She blames her condition on regular and prolonged exposure to hair dye chemicals, which she claims the defendants developed, tested and manufactured incorrectly and recklessly, leading to her illness.

Her lawsuit presents claims of failure to warn, design defect, negligent failure to warn, fraud, fraudulent concealment, and violations of the New York Consumer Protection Statute. Loscar seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

Hair Dye Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

Hair dye bladder cancer lawyers are currently reviewing similar claims nationwide for individuals who were routinely exposed to chemicals in permanent hair dyes while working in salons or other professional settings, particularly among those working as:

• Hairdressers
• Cosmetologists
• Hair stylists
• Hair colorists
• Hair technicians
• Other salon professionals who regularly handle hair dye products

Individuals diagnosed with bladder cancer after years of occupational exposure to permanent hair dye chemicals may be eligible to pursue financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.

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