Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Thousands of Black Women Claim Hair Relaxers Gave Them Cancer

Following a study by the US National Institutes of Health associating hair relaxer use with uterine cancer, over 7000 lawsuits have been filed against cosmetics companies like L’Oréal and Revlon.

An employee in a meeting, smiling and looking at someone speaking. — Following a study by the US National Institutes of Health associating hair relaxer use with uterine cancer, over 7000 lawsuits have been filed against cosmetics companies like L’Oréal and Revlon. (Shutterstock)

Reuters

06 November 2023

BoF PROFESSIONAL

Sheila Bush, a cosmetologist, was lounging in the recliner at her St. Louis-area home last winter when an advertisement from a law firm flashed up on her television screen, urging viewers to call a toll-free number if they or a loved one had used hair relaxers and been diagnosed with uterine cancer.

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Carol’s Daughter Was an Early Mover in the Black Haircare Market. Now It’s Going After a New Generation.

The L’Oréal-owned textured haircare brand, which turns 30 next year, is undergoing a brand turnaround, betting European expansion and a diffusion line catered to Gen-Z will help boost sales in the face of growing competition.

How Mielle Organics Is Rewriting the Playbook for Black Hair Brands

Monique Rodriguez is one of a small number of Black women to secure a seven-figure investment for her business. The next challenge: scale while staying Black-owned.

Modernising the Black Hair Care Market

A new wave of start-ups shaking up the textured hair care space are catching the attention of major retailers and investors, grabbing more shelf space and venture capital.

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How Dwayne Johnson Made a Skincare Brand Men Actually Buy

The ‘everyman’ skincare market is moving towards premiumisation, as brands like Johnson’s Papatui ditch traditional one-note marketing for a more considered approach.

Opinion: Harry Styles Is Selling Sex — Even If Wall Street Won’t

The successful restock of a vibrator and lube from Styles' beauty and wellness brand Pleasing shows how celebrities are sustaining the sexual wellness category, writes Bloomberg's Jessica Karl.

The Business of Beauty Global Awards: An Update on 2025’s Winners

Following their Global Award wins, founders from Akt London, Yse Beauty and Ruka share how the recognition changed their business trajectories.

Is Harper Beckham Beauty’s Next It Founder?

This week, Priya Rao examines Gen Alpha’s next big brand, Hiku.

Why H&M’s Sustainability Report Is So Unusual

The Swedish fast-fashion retailer is one of a shrinking number of companies that’s still drawing attention to its emissions goals. Plus, a Shanghai Fashion Week preview.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.

The Zara-Fication of John Galliano

Fashion’s enfant terrible is trading exclusivity for the mass market. Is it the ultimate fashion coup, or the final surrender of prestige?

The Impact of War on Fashion’s Supply Chain

Textile hubs are already feeling the cascading risks of the conflict in Iran as Washington ramps up forced labour probes to revive tariffs, while decarbonisation in fashion’s factories might finally have a standard to go off of.

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