Advertising watchdog urged to investigate advertising of hair relaxers targeting Black women and girls

The complaint also states that the adverts reinforce racial and gender stereotyping and make claims related to safety and health that it believes violate advertising codes. The submission comes on the heels of British Beauty Week, and amid growing scrutiny of the safety and regulation of hair and beauty products. 

Level Up’s complaint concerns the advertising of several hair relaxer products. It says the kits are marketed as ‘no lye’ and presented as safe, but Level Up has presented the ASA with evidence of the presence of sodium hydroxide (also known as ‘lye’) within them. 

Level Up is concerned that sodium hydroxide is a toxic chemical, not only because it is classified as a skin corrosive by the Health and Safety Executive and capable of causing severe scalp burns, but also because it has been linked in scientific studies to increased cancer risks associated with long-term use of hair relaxers. 

These concerns are currently under regulatory scrutiny, with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) having committed during a recent Parliamentary inquiry (to which Level Up contributed written and oral evidence) to further research. In particular, the OPSS will review existing scientific studies and is commissioning new research into the intergenerational impacts of these products, including their impact on children. In a survey conducted as part of the inquiry, nearly one in six respondents who reported being harmed by a product or treatment said the damage was permanent. 

Level Up also raises concerns in its complaint that the imaging and wording used to advertise such products features Black girls and refers to the concerns of Black mothers, reinforcing discriminatory beauty standards and gender and racial stereotyping. 

Level Up complained to the ASA in June 2025 that such marketing practices amount to breaches of advertising codes. In December, however, the regulator informed the group that the complaint would not be investigated and the file would be closed. In response, in a legal letter sent by law firm Leigh Day to the ASA in February 2026 Level Up alleged that the decision not to investigate was unlawful for a number of reasons including the ASA's failure to give adequate reasons for the decision and to abide by its duties under the Human Rights Act in handling the complaint. The ASA has since agreed to reconsider its decision subject to Level Up providing further information. Level Up has now presented the ASA with extensive further evidence of the advertising practices complained of. 

Co-Director at Level Up, Seyi Falodun-Liburd said:

“The ASA’s refusal to investigate the misleading claims in online adverts for “no-lye” hair relaxer kits highlights the gaps in this country’s regulation that we believe continues to leave Black women and children exposed to toxic chemicals. 

"Since last year, Level Up has urged the ASA to investigate online adverts for “no-lye” hair relaxers. We believe that not only do the adverts contain misleading information about the presence of lye in the product, they also help to reinforce discriminatory attitudes and practices around race and gender. When beauty companies advertise products with misleading claims, it takes away the customers’ chance to make a safe and informed decision. That’s why Level Up has spent the last five years campaigning for big beauty brands to remove toxic chemicals from Black women’s hair products and implement transparent labelling. The ASA must start taking this matter seriously.”

Level Up is supported by Systemic Justice, a non-profit organisation that partners with communities to use strategic litigation as a tool for systemic change. Level Up is represented by law firm Leigh Day.

Head of Legal at Systemic Justice, Susheela Math, said:

“We believe marketing practices relating to ‘no lye’ relaxers targeted at Black women and girls raise important issues of race and gender. The ASA’s approach, including its initial refusal to investigate and its request for further evidence including that substantial numbers of people are impacted, has been concerning. Nonetheless, Level Up has now submitted extensive further evidence, including in relation to the presence of sodium hydroxide in hair relaxer kits. We urge the ASA to take this matter as seriously as Parliament and look forward to hearing further from it.”

Leigh Day partner Ricardo Gama, who represents Level Up, said:

“Our client was surprised by the ASA’s initial decision not to investigate their complaint, despite what they say is clear evidence of lye present in products that actively market themselves as ‘no lye’. Level Up has now submitted further evidence that the harmful lye chemical sodium hydroxide is present in the hair products, and hopes that the ASA will now fully investigate the issue.”