Hair Dye Cancer Lawsuit Filed Over Wrongful Death of Salon Professional

Years of exposure to multiple manufacturers’ products led to cosmetologist’s fatal bladder cancer diagnosis, hair dye wrongful death lawsuit claims.

A California man alleges that his wife’s death was caused by years of exposure to toxic chemicals in professional salon hair dyes, accusing manufacturers in his lawsuit of failing to warn cosmetologists for decades about the serious health risks associated with their products.

The complaint (PDF) was filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles late last month by Rogelio Campos, Sr., on behalf of himself and his late wife, Lucille Campos, whom he says died of hair dye bladder cancer.  

The hair dye wrongful death lawsuit names a list of cosmetic manufacturers as defendants, including L’Oreal, Wella Operations US, LLC, Coty, Inc., Joico, Henkel, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Pravana, Schwarzkopf, Goldwell New York, Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., and Kao Corporation.

According to the complaint, Lucille Campos routinely handled and applied the defendants’ products for 40 years as a licensed cosmetologist from 1972 until her retirement in June 2012. However, in 2022 she was diagnosed with bladder cancer and died of complications in January.

Campos’s husband says the defendants are liable for her death. Each of the companies manufacture and sell permanent hair dye products that have been a staple in professional salons for decades. Although the hair color dyes have been widely marketed to hairdressers and hair stylists as safe, the lawsuit indicates that studies dating back to 2001 have shown that using hair dye just once a month can more than double the risk of bladder cancer.

The lawsuit comes while a growing number of hair dye cancer lawsuits are being filed nationwide against cosmetic manufacturers, as more stylists become aware of the potential health risks linked to long-term hair dye exposure. However, Campos’s complaint appears to be the first to include a hair dye wrongful death claim.

Bladder cancer is the ninth most common form of cancer in the U.S., with about 83,000 bladder cancer diagnoses and about 16,000 deaths per year. About five percent of all bladder cancer cases are believed to be caused by occupational exposures.

The lawsuit notes that concerns over hair dye cancer risks date back to at least 1975, and numerous studies since have provided supporting evidence linking their ingredients specifically to bladder cancer risks. In 2010 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), determined that hair dyes were “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

“Hundreds of chemicals are used to make hair dyes, many are carcinogenic,” the lawsuit states. “People that are exposed to hair dyes frequently as part of their occupation such as hairdressers, cosmetologists, hair colorists, barbers, and salon workers have higher lifetime exposures to these carcinogenic chemicals than people who have their hair dyed in a salon or who dye it at home.”

Campos presents claims of strict liability — failure to warn, design defect, negligent failure to warn, deceit by concealment, wrongful death and violations of the California Unfair Competition Law.

Hair Dye Cancer Lawsuits

Campos’s hair dye wrongful death lawsuit joins a quickly growing number of claims being filed by licensed hairdressers who are now pursuing hair dye cancer lawsuit settlements against product manufacturers due to their failure to adequately inform and protect users from the potential health risks linked to these hazardous chemicals.

Hair dye cancer lawsuits are being investigated for cosmetologists, hair stylists, hairdressers, hair colorists or other licensed salon professionals who were routinely exposed to chemicals in permanent hair dye, and later diagnosed with bladder cancer.

To help hairdressers and stylists determine if they may be eligible for financial compensation or settlement benefits, hair dye lawyers are providing free consultations and claim evaluations for individuals throughout the U.S.