Hair Relaxer Products Uterine Cancer & Ovarian Cancer Mass Tort Litigation

In October 2022, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finding that women who used chemical hair straighteners or relaxers more than four times per year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to women who did not use these products. Because chemical hair relaxers are disproportionately marketed to and used by Black women — with some studies estimating that over 60% of Black women use relaxers — civil rights advocates emphasized that this litigation intersects with longstanding issues of environmental racism and consumer product safety inequity. Defendants include major manufacturers such as L'Oréal, Revlon, and Soft Sheen, as well as numerous store-brand relaxer makers.

Plaintiffs allege that the manufacturers knew or should have known that their hair relaxer formulations contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes, and bisphenol A — that are associated with hormone-sensitive cancers and reproductive harm, and that they failed to warn consumers of these risks. The litigation was consolidated into a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of Illinois in early 2023. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages for uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, ovarian cancer, and endometriosis. The MDL is moving through discovery, and bellwether trials are expected to be selected in 2025–2026.