The companies at the center of thousands of U.S. lawsuits produce some of Africa’s most popular chemical straighteners like Dark & Lovely and TCB Naturals.

Growing up Gloria Moraa said she used almost every relaxer on the market before she quit chemically straightening her hair.

Industrial pollution

Industrial Pollution

While many Black women in US abandon hair relaxers linked to cancer, sales climb in African countries

We sat down with ecologist Micaela Martinez to talk about harmful products that disproportionately affect women of color as a rising frontier of environmental justice.

FDA’s proposed ban on chemical hair straighteners follows years of ‘

A hairdresser straightens the hair of a woman of color by applying a hair product.

FDA’s proposed ban on chemical hair straighteners follows years of ‘beauty justice’ advocacy 

Susan Smith Richardson is a veteran journalist based in New York and a former consulting editor at The Examination.

She has held leadership positions at the Guardian and the Center for Public Integrity, among other news organizations. Her work focuses on the intersection of race, gender and inequality.