Rio Hair Naturalizer System

The Rio Hair Naturalizer System was a hair relaxer distributed by The World Rio Corporation Inc. It was available in two types; "Neutral" as well as another one that claimed to have a "Color Enhancement Formula" that contained a black hair dye.[1] As a product designed for home use, it was promoted through infomercials in the early to mid-1990s.

Despite the claims of the relaxer being safe and natural, the product contained copper, ammonium, and chloride salts and a pH of less than the listed level of 3.[2] Due to these factors, people using the product suffered from hair loss, scalp burns, and (in some cases) green hair color.[3] By 1995, there were over 3,000 complaints lodged with the Food and Drug Administration. Eventually, the product was barred from being imported into the U.S., and all remaining company stocks were destroyed.[4] Several victims (about 53,000) filed a Class Action Lawsuit against World Rio Corporation, resulting in a judgment of US$4.5 million. The incident also raised questions about the issue of relaxing afro textured hair in general.[5]

References

  1. ^ "FDA WARNS AGAINST USE OF "RIO" HAIR RELAXER" (Press release). Food and Drug Administration. December 21, 1994. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00620.html. 
  2. ^ Swee, Warren; Karl C. Klontz, Lark A. Lambert (September 2000). "A Nationwide Outbreak of Alopecia Associated With the Use of a Hair-Relaxing Formulation". Archives of Dermatology 6 (9): 1104–8. doi:10.1001/archderm.136.9.1104. PMID 10987865. http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/136/9/1104. 
  3. ^ Ayana D. Byrd; Lori L. Tharps (30 November 2006). Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Diane Pub Co. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7567-6982-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=-uxdPgAACAAJ. Retrieved 23 September 2011. 
  4. ^ Kurtzweil, Paula (March 1996). "Hair relaxers destroyed after consumers complain – products sold by World Rio Corp", FDA Consumer.
  5. ^ Zook, Kristal Brent (January 7, 1996). "Get out of our hair: Untangling the politics on top of the black woman's head", The Washington Post, pp. C1.