Redken, owned by L’Oréal, is named in two separate lines of litigation as of mid-2026: a class action in Illinois alleging that Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo contained benzene, and a growing set of product liability suits filed by professional hairdressers who claim years of exposure to Redken and other salon dye brands caused their bladder cancer. No Redken lawsuit has reached trial, and no settlement has been announced in either track.
The Benzene Dry Shampoo Class Action
Eileen Hirsch sued L’Oréal USA in November 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The case, Hirsch v. L’Oréal USA, Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-06569, relied on testing by the independent laboratory Valisure, which reported that Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo (5 fl oz, Lot WWU80WL) released benzene at 7.55 parts per million on the first spray, followed by 2.46 and 3.73 ppm on subsequent sprays.1ClassAction.org. Hirsch v. L’Oréal USA, Inc., Complaint
The complaint called the product “adulterated” because benzene is a poisonous substance capable of injuring users, and “misbranded” because the label omitted any mention of benzene and carried no warning. Dry shampoos are classified as cosmetics, not drugs, so the suit argued that no amount of benzene is acceptable; the FDA allows up to 2 ppm only in certain drug products.2ClassAction.org. L’Oréal’s Redken Dry Shampoo Contains Dangerous Levels of Benzene, Class Action Claims
L’Oréal moved to dismiss on February 7, 2023. The company argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing and that their state-law claims were preempted by federal law, and attacked Valisure as “untrustworthy,” noting criticism from the FDA and federal judges.3Litigation Conferences. Legal News: Hair Product Litigation The FDA itself sent Valisure a letter in December 2022 flagging “multiple violations and deficiencies” in its testing methods.4Regulations.gov. FDA-2022-P-2707 Comments on Valisure Citizen Petition As of mid-2026 the case was still listed as pending, with no reported ruling on the motion to dismiss, no class certified, and no settlement.5Truth in Advertising. Redken Dry Shampoo
There is no public record that L’Oréal recalled Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo or reformulated it in response to the benzene findings.6Cosmetics and Toiletries. Unilever, J&J, Olaplex and L’Oréal Still Treading Legal Waters Over Lilial, Benzene
Hairdresser Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Naming Redken
Starting in January 2025, professional hairdressers began suing L’Oréal and other manufacturers, alleging that salon dyes contain aromatic amines, including 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) and ortho-toluidine, both classified as Group 1 human carcinogens. Several complaints name Redken specifically because its dyes were used throughout the plaintiffs’ careers.
The first case was filed January 23, 2025, in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Hector Corvera, a California cosmetologist licensed since 1981 and diagnosed with bladder cancer in June 2023. His complaint names L’Oréal and ten other companies, including Wella, Clairol, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Joico, and All Nutrients, and lists Redken alongside Matrix, Wella Professionals, Clairol, Paul Mitchell, and Joico as brands he handled across his 42-year career.7AboutLawsuits.com. Hair Dye Bladder Cancer Lawsuit Filed by Cosmetologist Against L’Oréal USA The suit alleges manufacturers misrepresented to the FDA that these chemicals had been removed from modern formulations when they had not.8NBC News. Hair Stylist Sues Beauty Brands Over Bladder Cancer
Two more California cases followed. Debra Matarazzo v. Henkel AG & Co. KGaA et al. was filed March 6, 2025, in the Central District of California and voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on June 6, 2025; her complaint did not specifically list Redken.9Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts. Dyeing to Know: The Hair Dye Cancer Lawsuits and Natural Alternatives10PACER Monitor. Debra Matarazzo v. Henkel AG & Co. KGaA et al. Sharon Mirtaheri v. L’Oréal USA Inc. et al., filed April 28, 2025, in Los Angeles Superior Court, explicitly names Redken; Mirtaheri is a Virginia cosmetologist licensed since 1975 and was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February 2025.11Robert King Law Firm. Sharon Mirtaheri v. L’Oréal USA Inc. et al., Complaint
By July 2025, at least 12 to 15 of these cases had been consolidated for coordinated pretrial proceedings in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Samantha Jessner. Status conferences in July 2025 addressed discovery and potential bellwether trials, but as of November 2025 the litigation had seen little movement.12AboutLawsuits.com. Hair Dye Lawsuit13AboutLawsuits.com. Cosmetologist Hair Dye Lawsuit: Salon Worker Bladder Cancer14PACER Monitor. Loscar v. Kao USA, Inc. et al.
The Science Behind the Dye Claims
A 2009 study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found roughly a 30% increased risk of bladder cancer among hairdressers overall, with the risk climbing for those who worked more than ten years in the profession.7AboutLawsuits.com. Hair Dye Bladder Cancer Lawsuit Filed by Cosmetologist Against L’Oréal USA A 2003 study by the FDA and the National Center for Toxicological Research detected 4-aminobiphenyl in eight of eleven commercial hair dyes tested.8NBC News. Hair Stylist Sues Beauty Brands Over Bladder Cancer Plaintiffs argue these aromatic amines are not always listed on labels because they can form during manufacturing or when salon workers mix dye with hydrogen peroxide and color accelerants.
The science is not fully settled. The occupational link between professional hairdressing and bladder cancer is described as statistically significant, while findings on cancer risk for consumers who use hair dye at home are considered inconclusive by many researchers.8NBC News. Hair Stylist Sues Beauty Brands Over Bladder Cancer
What L’Oréal Has Said
L’Oréal has not issued a public statement directly addressing the Redken benzene case or the hair dye bladder cancer suits in detail. In a November 2023 statement about separate hair straightener litigation, the company said the allegations lacked “legal or scientific merit,” that its products undergo “rigorous scientific evaluation” for regulatory compliance, and that its “highest priority is the health and wellbeing of all our consumers.”15L’Oréal. Response to Hair Straightening Product Lawsuits in the US In the Redken dry shampoo case, its motion to dismiss challenged both the plaintiffs’ standing and the reliability of the Valisure testing.3Litigation Conferences. Legal News: Hair Product Litigation
Not the Same as the Hair Relaxer MDL
The Redken-related dye cases are legally separate from the hair relaxer and straightener multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 3060, pending in Illinois, which involves more than 11,700 claims alleging uterine and ovarian cancer.16TorHoerman Law. Hair Straightener Cancer Lawsuit The hairdresser bladder cancer suits have not been consolidated into a federal MDL of their own.