L’Oréal reportedly weighs US chemical-liability options
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that L'Oréal has engaged restructuring counsel Weil Gotshal & Manges and investment bank Ducera Partners to assess options for rising U.S. legal liabilities linked to talc and other chemicals in some cosmetics. L'Oréal's half-year report said about 760 U.S. proceedings over alleged asbestos particles in talc-containing products were pending as of June 30, up from about 620 at the end of 2025. The company also faces thousands of lawsuits alleging hair relaxer products could cause cancer in women, and Arizona sued L'Oréal and its U.S. subsidiary in September alleging the firm hid evidence the products could cause cancer. The Journal said L'Oréal is considering moving tort liabilities into a separate corporate entity to sell to an outside investor, an option modeled on Honeywell's prior-year divestiture of certain asbestos liabilities to Delticus. J&J said in July it would pay an estimated $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of talc-related lawsuits, and Avon Products started Chapter 11 proceedings in 2024 over debt and talc liabilities. The WSJ report has not been independently verified by Reuters. L'Oréal, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Ducera did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. L'Oréal USA has said it is confident in its products' safety and considers the claims without legal or scientific merit.