Chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers may cause cancer, according to recent studies. Women nationwide are now pursuing hair relaxer lawsuit payouts against manufacturers. Learn about the latest lawsuit updates here.

 

UPDATED: November 2022

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• Exposure to hair relaxer chemicals may cause uterine cancer, breast cancer and other injuries
• One study found 3x greater risk of uterine cancer among women who received hair relaxer treatments, and another found 30% increased risk of breast cancer
• Manufacturers now face hair relaxer lawsuits over failure to warn women about the cancer risks associated with exposure to toxic chemicals in products
• FIND OUT IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A HAIR RELAXER SETTLEMENT

Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit Overview

Chemical hair relaxer and hair straightener products have been marketed by a number of different companies, primarily to African American women. However, manufacturers failed to disclose the potential side effects of several toxic chemicals in hair relaxers, which may increase the risk of uterine cancer, breast cancer and other injuries.

Who is Eligible for a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Payout?

Financial compensation and settlement benefits may be available through a hair relaxer lawsuit for women who regularly used chemical hair relaxer or hair straightener, and were diagnosed with any of the following injuries:

• Uterine Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Endometrial Cancer
• Uterine Saroma
• Uterine Fibroids
• Endometriosis

Hair relaxer lawyers are reviewing cancer lawsuits on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no fees or expenses paid unless a settlement or lawsuit payout is received.

Free Consultation With a Hair Relaxer Lawyer

 

Regular exposure to chemicals in hair relaxer may cause uterine cancer, breast cancer and other injuries. Women diagnosed with cancer may be eligible for settlement benefits.

Related Stories

• Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit Seeks Medical Monitoring For Cancer, Other Damages On Behalf of Users(11/18/22)
• MDL Centralization Sought for Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Over Uterine Cancer, Fibroids and Other Risks Linked to Chemical Straighteners(11/15/22)
• Hair Relaxer Uterine Cancer Lawsuit Filed Against Makers of Dark & Lovely, Just for Me and Cantu Shea Butter Relaxer(11/4/22)

Latest Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Update

November 2022 Update: As the number of hair relaxer lawsuits being filed throughout the federal court system continues to grow, a group of plaintiffs filed a motion with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), requesting all hair relaxer lawsuits to be centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

October 2022 Update:Following the publication of a study in October 2022, some of the first hair relaxer cancer lawsuits were filed in the federal court system, presenting claims against manufacturers of some of the most widely used products, including:

• Dark and Lovely
• Optimum Care Relaxer
• Soft and Beautiful
• Motions Hair Relaxer
• TCB Naturals Relaxer Creme
• Just for Me Hair Relaxer
• ORS Olive Oil (Organic Root Stimulator)

Studies Linking Hair Relaxer and Cancer

In recent years, several studies have been published that make a connection between the use of hair relaxer and cancer, raising concerns about the wide spread use of the products by African Americans and other minority women throughout the U.S.

Some of the studies and evidence suggesting that side effects of hair relaxers cause cancer include:

October 2022: Hair Relaxer May Increase Uterine Cancer Risk for Women – Researchers with the National Institute of Environmental Health published findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, warning that ingredients in popular hair relaxers may cause uterine cancer, as they contain endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic chemicals.

The study involved a review of data on nearly 34,000 women between the ages of 35 and 74, including a 10 year follow up on the incidence rate of uterine cancer diagnosed. Researchers found an increased risk of uterine cancer among hair relaxer users compared to any other hair products involved in the study, as well as compared to women who used no hair straightener products.

• 4% of women frequently using hair straightener chemical products developed uterine cancer
• 1.6% of women who never used a hair relaxer developed uterine cancer

December 2019: Chemical Hair Relaxer May Increase Breast Cancer Risk: Data collected from the “Sister Study”, which involved an examination of the breast cancer risk among 50,000 participants, found that women who used hair relaxers frequently faced a 30% increased risk of breast cancer. The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer (IJC).

June 2017: Study Linking Hair Relaxer Chemicals and Breast Cancer: Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute published findings in the medical journal Carcinogenesis, which identified a relationship between use of hair relaxer and breast cancer among African American women.

Share Your Story

Were you or a loved one diagnosed with cancer from hair relaxer? Share your story with the AboutLawsuits.com and have your comments reviewed by a lawyer to determine if you may be eligible for a lawsuit.

Examples of Hair Relaxer Lawsuits

Dark & Lovely Class Action Lawsuit:  A group of women have filed a Dark & Lovely class action lawsuit against L’Oreal USA and Softsheen-Carson, Inc., indicating they purchased Dark & Lovely hair relaxer, unaware that it contained toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals. While none of the plaintiffs indicate they have been diagnosed with a specific injury, they claim that the manufacturer should be forced to remove the adulterated products from the market and required to pay for medical monitoring of class members.

Hair Relaxer Medical Monitoring Lawsuit: A hair relaxer medical monitoring lawsuit was filed by several plaintiff’s in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on November 17. The lawsuit calls for L’Oreal and Softsheen-Carson, Inc. to pay for medical monitoring of women who used Dark & Lovely hair relaxers who may now face an increased risk of uterine cancer, fibroids and other injuries from exposure to the toxic chemicals.

Hair Relaxer Uterine Cancer Lawsuit: Following use of Dark & Lovely, Just for Me and Cantu Shea Butter Relaxer over a period of nearly three decades, Timika Smith indicated that she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and endomedtriosis, according to a lawsuit filed on November 2, 2022. Smith outlined a number of studies linking chemicals in hair relaxer and uterine cancer, indicating that the manufacturers targeted Black women.

Hair Relaxer Uterine Fibroid Lawsuit: Mahogany Lee filed a lawsuit over uterine fibroids from hair relaxer products on October 27, 2022, indicating that she had to undergo a hysterectomy following development of uterine fibroids when she was 29 years old, leaving her unable to have children.

Hair Relaxer Uterine Fibroid Myomectomy Lawsuit: The lawsuit was filed by KeAira Gamble in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia on October 26, indicating she developed uterine fibroids from hair relaxer use, resulting in the need for a myomectomy. Gamble states she regularly used hair relaxer products for 18 years without knowledge of the hormone disrupting chemicals within them, which she claims has also contributed to her development of endometriosis.

Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit: Jennifer Mitchell filed one of the first complaints over the link between hair relaxer and cancer on October 21, 2022, alleging that regular use of Dark & Lovely, Motions and Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Olive Oil hair relaxer caused uterine cancer to develop when she was 28 years old. As a result, Mitchell had to undergo a full hysterectomy in September 2019 and has been left unable to have children and suffering from pain and emotional distress.

Have a Hair Relaxer Lawyer Review Your Case

If you or a loved one were diagnosed with uterine cancer, breast cancer or another injury, submit information about your potential claim for review by a hair relaxer lawyer to determine whether a settlement or lawsuit payout may be available.

Lawyers are providing free claim evaluations and consultations. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained in your case.

 

Free Case Evaluation

Find out if you are eligible for a Hair Relaxer Settlement.

Tags: Breast Cancer, Hair Relaxer, Hair Straightener, Uterine Cancer