Who is the Just for Me Lawsuit against?
The Just for Me relaxer lawsuit is against the Strength of Nature Global, LLC and their parent company Godrej Group. Damages are being pursued against the manufacturers of Just for Me relaxer for failing to warn about the risks associated with the cancer-causing chemicals found in their hair straightening kits, including:
- Uterine Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Uterine Fibroids resulting in hysterectomy or myomectomy surgery
History of Just for Me Relaxer
Just for Me® hair relaxer was developed and aggressively marketed toward young African American girls, suggesting that it was safe for parents to allow their vulnerable and developing children to apply the perm kit chemicals to their scalp.
Just for Me started to gain popularity in the early 1990s, after it was originally introduced by Unilever PLC. In 2015, Strength of Nature Global, LLC acquired Just for Me and three other brands of ethnic hair products including:
- Motions Relaxer
- Consort Hair Spray
- TCB Creme Hair Relaxer
This acquisition made Strength of Nature Global (based in Savannah, GA) one of the largest hair relaxer manufacturers. In addition to the four (4) brands acquired, Strength of Nature Global already owned several other popular brands of hair relaxers.
- African Pride
- Dream Kids (another hair relaxer marketed to young black girls)
- Soft & Beautiful
- Beautiful Textures
In 2016 Strength of Nature Global was acquired by the Godrej Group, a consumer goods conglomerate based in India, which continues to market the product “just for” African American girls, while failing to disclose the link between Just of Me relaxer and cancer.
What types of cancer can Just for Me hair relaxer cause?
A growing body of evidence has found that Just for Me and other hair relaxers advertised for young girls and adults contain undisclosed endocrine disrupting chemicals that are linked to hormone sensitive cancers such as uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.
The risk of cancer from Just for Me relaxers appears to be greater for women with hair relaxer exposure that began during the prepubescent ages of 9-13 years old, when the reproductive organs are still developing.
Just for Me Uterine Cancer Risk
Concerns about hair relaxer and uterine cancer were raised nationwide in October 2022, when the findings of a new study were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that women using hair relaxers only 1 to 4 times per year faced a 54% increased uterine cancer risk, compared to women who were not exposed to the harsh chemicals. However, when the hair relaxer exposure was more than 4 times per year, there was a 156% increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
The longer and more frequently women were exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals in hair relaxers, the more likely they were to be diagnosed with uterine cancer. Just for Me relaxer users start at a very long age, and typically have substantially greater life-time exposure to the toxic chemicals.
Hormone disruptors found in hair relaxer products can cause mutation of cells in the uterus during a child’s reproductive growth stages, which can lead to an early onset of uterine cancer growth. This is why women routinely exposed to hair relaxers as a child may develop uterine cancer from Just for Me at a much greater rate.
Ovarian Cancer from Just for Me Relaxer
Information about the potential link between hair relaxers and ovarian cancer was outlined in a study published in the medical journal Carcinogenesis in 2021. Researchers found that hair relaxer use more than 4x per year nearly doubled a women’s risk of ovarian cancer, when compared to those who never used the products.
Similar to the findings that hair relaxers like Just for Me cause cancer in the uterus, the endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in hair straighteners also disrupt levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones in the ovaries.
Children routinely exposed to these chemicals in Just for Me and other hair relaxers marketed to kids may face accelerated rates of ovarian cancer cell growth, which could also decrease ovarian function and increase pregnancy complications.
Reproductive Problems from Just for Me Hair Relaxer Chemicals
In addition to the link between hair relaxers and cancer, endocrine disrupting chemicals in perm kits can cause uterine fibroids and other reproductive dysfunction including:
- Infertility
- Endometriosis
- Ovarian Cysts
- Premature Ovarian Failure
- Preterm Delivery Risks
Early childhood exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals from hair relaxers like Just for Me can amplify a woman’s risk of later developing these reproductive problems, especially if they are introduced during critical development stages.
As children grow before going through puberty, their body heavily relies on a healthy balance of hormones for the formation and maturing of reproductive organs. These essential building-block phases shape the future health of their reproductive organs.
However, by exposing kids to hair relaxer chemicals during these pivotal developmental stages, children may begin to experience cell mutations and abnormalities that can change the course of a healthy growing reproductive system.
What is the Just for Me Lawsuit about?
Strength of Nature failed to warn about cancer-causing chemicals found in Just for Me perm kits
Women across the nation are now pursuing Just for Me hair relaxer lawsuits against Strength of Nature Global, LLC and other manufacturers over their failure to warn consumers about the use of toxic industrial chemicals in relaxer formulations.
Several of the most common endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) used in hair relaxer products with well established links to cancer and reproductive system issues include;
- Formaldehyde
- Parabens
- Sodium hydroxide
- Dimethyl sulfoxide
- Phthalates
- Bisphenol A
The Just for Me lawsuit claims the manufacturers negligently and fraudulently misrepresented the hair products by omitting these EDCs from the products labeling in an effort to stay relevant in a competitive $42 billion market largely targeting young black girls.
Strength of Nature marketed Just for Me as safe for children
Just for Me relaxer was promoted as a “gentle” hair relaxer formula that was made just for children, by using calcium hydroxide instead of lye. However, Just for Me relaxer still contains the same harmful chemicals found in other brands of hair relaxers, including parabens, phthalates and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
If you have ever used a Just for Me hair relaxer kit you remember the toxic foul smelling chemicals, the burning sensation on your scalp. Looking back now there was nothing “safe” about using chemical hair relaxers on a child.
Lawsuits highlight Just for Me deceptive marketing practices
Growing up, many women of color looked up to the Just for Me “hair box girls”. The young black models featured on the front of the hair relaxer box like Just for Me represented an almost unachievable standard of beauty with impossibly smooth hair, glossy ponytails and cascading curls.
Just for Me lawsuits will highlight the deceptive marketing practices employed by the manufacturers, and hold these corporations accountable for the long-term damage they caused for generations of Black women.
As it turns out, several of the “hair box girls” may have never actually used the relaxer and hair perm products they were promoting. In October 2022, an investigative report by Refinery29 interviewed many of hair relaxer box models from the 1990’s and early 2000’s, and found that many of them did not use hair relaxer for the photoshoot, but instead relied upon styling techniques including silk-pressing, flat ironing and mousse.
This information is just one piece of evidence that highlights the deceptive marketing practices of hair relaxer manufacturers, which were intended to mislead young black girls and create a new generation of black women who will become life-long users of hair straighteners and perms. Parents and young girls never would have decided to use Just for Me perm kits if they had been warned about the long-term hair relaxer risks, including:
- Hair loss
- Scalp burns
- Reproductive issues
- Uterine cancer
- and Ovarian cancer
Which products are included in the Just for Me Lawsuit?
The Just for Me lawsuit includes all types of relaxer or perm kits under the Just for Me® brand name including:
- Just for Me No Lye Relaxer
- Just for Me No-Lye Conditioning Texture Softener
- Just for Me No-Lye Conditioning Relaxer Creme
How do I File a Just for Me Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
Ready to take the first step in filing a hair relaxer lawsuit? If you or someone you know has experienced any of the following health issues after using a Just for Me hair relaxer product, make sure to reach out to our attorneys at Saiontz & Kirk right away.
Our lawyers are currently accepting cases for women who used Just for Me hair relaxer and were later diagnosed with:
- Uterine Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Uterine Fibroids (resulting in hysterectomy or myomectomy)
Please note we are no longer investigating cases for breast cancer.
To speak with a hair relaxer lawyer at our office today, request a free consultation through the link below or contact our office anytime at 800-522-0102.
