Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuits

Millions of women use chemical hair relaxers on a regular basis. New scientific research three years ago revealed that chronic exposure to the chemicals in hair relaxer products can cause uterine and ovarian cancer. This new evidence prompted a wave of lawsuits against the manufacturers of hair relaxer products by women claiming that they developed cancer as a result of using these products.

These cases are moving forward. The MDL judge has scheduled the first bellwether trial for 2early 2027.  These trials are intended to help both sides gauge how juries might respond to the evidence and could influence settlement discussions…if there is not a global settlement before the first trial, as many, including our lawyers, suspect.

If you are looking for the most recent updates on hair relaxer lawsuits in 2025, we continue to provide timely information on case progress, bellwether trials, and potential compensation payouts for hair relaxer lawsuits. Our team remains committed to keeping victims informed as this litigation unfolds.

Our mass tort lawyers have been at the forefront of the hair relaxer cancer lawsuits from the very beginning. We are currently accepting hair relaxer cancer cases from women across the country.  Call our law office today for a free consultation at 888-322-3010, or get a free online consultation.

Latest 2025 Hair Relaxer Lawsuit News & Updates

The hair relaxer cancer litigation continues to evolve in 2025, with over 10,000 cases now consolidated in MDL No. 3060 before Judge Mary Rowland. This page provides the latest hair relaxer lawsuit update 2025, covering active case counts, discovery developments, bellwether progress, and strategic shifts that could shape a global resolution.

Our lawyers regularly post updates on hair relaxer lawsuits to reflect the progress of the litigation, both in court and behind the scenes.

For those monitoring the potential hair relaxer lawsuit cancer, and fibroids claims, these updates offer a clear snapshot of where things stand and what may come next.

August 3, 2025 – New Complaint Filed in Hair Relaxer MDL

In a new lawsuit filed today (a rare suit filed on a Sunday,  a woman from Virginia has joined the still growing hair relaxer MDL, alleging that long-term use of chemical straighteners caused her to develop uterine cancer. Filed in the Northern District of Illinois, the complaint names Godrej SON Holdings, Inc., SoftSheen-Carson LLC, Strength of Nature, LLC, and L’Oréal USA Products, Inc. as defendants.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff began using hair relaxers in or around 1995 and continued until approximately 2014. The products identified include multiple formulations from the “Dark and Lovely” and “Just For Me” lines, which the plaintiff alleges were defectively designed and marketed without adequate warnings regarding their long-term health risks—especially hormonally driven cancers such as uterine and ovarian cancer.

The lawsuit adopts the factual allegations and legal claims set out in the MDL’s Master Long Form Complaint, including causes of action for negligence, strict liability, fraudulent concealment, breach of warranties, and punitive damages. The plaintiff is also bringing claims for loss of consortium and wrongful death, reflecting the severity and potentially fatal consequences of the alleged injuries.

 

August 1, 2025 – Hair Relaxer MDL Case Count

As of August 1, 2025, the hair relaxer MDL includes 10,567 active cases before Judge Mary Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois. That represents an increase of 285 cases from the 10,282 pending on July 1, signaling a return to steady growth after the previous month’s decline.

Although the pace of new filings has slowed from earlier spikes, the litigation remains active and firmly in the discovery phase. This modest but consistent rise reflects continued interest in the docket, driven in part by growing public awareness, even as the television commercials fade away.

With Science Day set for January 2026 and no bellwether trials expected until 2027, this MDL is still in its early procedural stages. But the increase in cases is a reminder that for many women, the harms caused by these products are ongoing… and the demand for accountability is not fading.

July 27, 2025 – A Point Worth Remembering

As the hair relaxer MDL moves through discovery disputes and court-ordered deadlines, everyone should keep sight of what this litigation represents. For thousands of women, especially Black women who were targeted by decades of marketing, this case is not just a legal proceeding. It is a reckoning.

These women are not simply filing claims over failed products. They are standing up to corporations that saw them as a market and not as people. The fight is not about paperwork. It is about lives disrupted by cancer, hysterectomies, and the quiet grief of fertility lost too soon.

While defendants argue over scheduling and scope, the plaintiffs are focused on the truth. The sentiment driving these cases is clear. They were not warned. They were not protected. And now, they are demanding to be heard.

July 15, 2025 – Discovery Battles with Revlon

Judge Jantz has referred all outstanding discovery disputes between Plaintiffs and Revlon to Special Master Grossman.

Plaintiffs and Revlon are required to initiate contact with the Special Master no later than July 11, 2025. Judge Jantz made this referral to avoid delay and encourage more efficient resolution ahead of the July 24, 2025 status hearing.

While the judge acknowledged Plaintiffs’ concerns regarding the timing of this referral, she clarified that the move is not intended to give Revlon an opportunity to sidestep existing court orders. Those orders remain fully in effect. Judge Jantz emphasized that the Special Master is well-positioned to resolve the disputes currently on the table and to facilitate progress between the parties.

July 11, 2025 – Next Status Conference

The next status hearing is set for July 31, 2025, at 10:00 AM Central. Ahead of that, a joint status report on overall discovery progress is due by July 24. Plaintiffs and L’Oréal SA, as well as Plaintiffs and Revlon, must each file interim joint reports by July 8, 2025.

July 2, 2025 – Hair Relaxer MDL Case Count Holds at 10,282

The hair relaxer MDL before Judge Mary Rowland currently includes 10,282 pending cases, a slight decline from 10,317 last month. That drop follows a 149-case increase in May and may indicate that the surge in filings is starting to level off.

Our prediction was always 10,000 cases, and we will probably end up with a number pretty close to that. Still, we are taking new cases, and we are still getting strong compensable claims.

June 30, 2025 – New Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Filed in Illinois Federal Court

A new hair relaxer lawsuit was filed today in the Northern District of Illinois by a Nevada woman who used chemical hair straightening products from 1988 through 2023. The plaintiff alleges that long-term exposure to relaxers made by L’Oréal, Namaste Laboratories, and RNA Corporation caused her to develop uterine cancer.

The complaint outlines multiple causes of action, including negligence, defective design, and failure to warn, arguing that these products were aggressively marketed to women without proper safety disclosures. This filing adds to the growing number of personal injury claims pending in the MDL, which continues to focus on the connection between endocrine-disrupting chemicals in hair straighteners and hormone-driven cancers like uterine and ovarian cancer.

June 13, 2025 – Bellwether Case Dropped, Replacement Coming

In a recent development in the federal hair relaxer cancer litigation, one of the initial bellwether discovery cases—Hill v. L’Oréal USA—was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff. As a result, the defendants now have until July 1, 2025 to select a replacement case to take its place in the bellwether lineup.

The bellwether cases will be the first to go before a jury and will play a major role in determining how this litigation unfolds. The court has instructed both sides to work in good faith to ensure that fact discovery in the replacement case is completed before the final trial pool is locked in.

This substitution does not slow down the MDL. These things are expected to happen. With the first bellwether trial scheduled for November, every case selected matters. Each will help shape the pressure that could lead to a global settlement or a courtroom showdown we think we will win.

June 11, 2025 – What Would a Global Hair Relaxer Settlement Cost?

With over 10,000 plaintiffs now part of the multidistrict litigation involving chemical hair relaxers, settlement projections are no longer academic—they are essential. The cost to defendants will hinge entirely on the average payout per plaintiff. Below is a visual projection of total liability based on different potential per-claimant settlement values:

As this chart illustrates, even a $100,000 average per person settlement payout would translate to $1 billion in total liability. That number escalates quickly: $200,000 per plaintiff means $2 billion, and so on. At the high end, a $500,000 average settlement balloons the total to a staggering $5 billion.

This is just the MDL. It does not account for the state court lawsuits.

These are back-of-the-envelope projections, of course, but they’re grounded in the math. And they explain why both sides are sharpening their strategy as the litigation moves toward critical causation hearings and potential early trial verdicts.

L’Oréal could pay billions without breaking a sweat.  It will be an issue for some of the smaller companies in the litigation.

June 3, 2025 – Bellwether Discovery Underway

The 32 selected bellwether cases are now in the discovery phase. Both plaintiffs and defendants are exchanging evidence, including documents and testimonies, to prepare for the upcoming trials. This process is crucial in shaping the direction of the litigation and potential settlement discussions.

June 2, 2025 – MDL Case Count Update

The Hair Relaxer MDL has grown to 10,317 pending cases, reflecting a steady increase as more individuals come forward. The consistent rise in filings underscores the widespread impact and ongoing concerns related to chemical hair relaxer products.

May 23, 2025 – Joint Status Report Filed

Attorneys submitted a joint status report detailing the progress of discovery in the MDL. The report outlines the current state of evidence exchange and highlights any ongoing disputes or challenges faced during the process.

May 14, 2025 – Bellwether Case Selection Finalized

The selection process for bellwether cases has been completed, with 32 cases chosen to proceed. These cases will serve as representative trials to gauge potential outcomes and inform future proceedings within the MDL.

May 7, 2025 – L’Oréal S.A. Dismissed from MDL

The court has dismissed L’Oréal S.A., the French parent company of L’Oréal USA, from the MDL due to jurisdictional reasons. However, L’Oréal USA remains a defendant, and the core claims against the company continue to move forward.

May 2, 2025 – Case Count Update

The hair relaxer cancer lawsuits continued to advance last month with 149 new cases added to the MDL, bringing the total to 10,317. That kind of steady growth tells you the litigation is far from leveling off.  Because women continue to be newly diagnosed with cancer.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers believe the bump reflects both growing public awareness and strategic filings ahead of upcoming discovery deadlines. With bellwether trials scheduled to begin this fall, the window for adding new cases to the docket before trial pressure intensifies is closing quickly.

At the same time, this surge shows that the MDL is entering a new phase. General causation expert reports are taking shape. Procedural fights are intensifying. And more women are recognizing the link between years of chemical straightener use and diagnoses like uterine or ovarian cancer.

If a global settlement is going to happen, it will likely take shape before the first jury trial in November. If not, both sides will head into court, and the jury will weigh in on whether these companies should be held accountable for decades of marketing products without adequate warnings.

Hair Relaxers

Hair relaxers, also known as “hair perms” or “straighteners,” are predominantly used by African American women to achieve a flat hair appearance. The process of hair relaxing, or lanthionization, can be carried out either at home or at a salon. Typically, the product is applied to the hair’s base or root and left in place to undergo a “cooking” process. During this process, potent chemicals within the product target the hair’s natural protein structure, compelling it to flatten. Generally, retreatment is necessary every 4-8 weeks.

Hair relaxers often contain harsh chemicals like phthalates, which pose potential harm to the human body due to their classification as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs can disrupt the normal functioning of the endocrine system, which is responsible for regulating hormones such as estrogen. Notably, these chemicals are frequently not listed as individual ingredients on the product label. Instead, they are often broadly categorized under terms like “fragrance” or “perfume.”

Chemicals in Hair Relaxers

Hair relaxer products contain many powerful chemicals. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (“DEHP”) is a particularly harmful phthalate chemical that is found in hair relaxer products. It is used to make the product adhere to the scalp and absorb into the hair. DEHP is an EDC that is known to cause major disruption to the endocrine system and trigger hormonal imbalances.

This interference can lead to various reproductive and developmental issues, including infertility, cancer, and developmental abnormalities. Scientists have shown that DEHP acts as a mimic for the female hormone estrogen, contributing to hormonal imbalances.

In response to these health risks, numerous countries have implemented regulations to restrict the use of DEHP and other phthalates in consumer goods. For instance, the European Union has prohibited the use of DEHP in children’s toys, and the United States has imposed limitations on its inclusion in children’s products. However, the use of hair relaxers by children raises more serious concerns, as the direct application of these products with chemicals poses a more intimate exposure compared to playing with a toy, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and regulation.

NIH Study Links Hair Relaxer to Cancer

In October 2022, the results of a groundbreaking long-term study called the “Sister Study” were published. The Sister Study was conducted by a research team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and it included a group of over 50,000 women who participated in the study.

The Sister Study found that frequent use of chemical hair relaxers (over 4 times per year) over long periods increased the risk of uterine cancer by 150%. The results of the Sister Study were definitive proof that hair relaxer was linked to uterine cancer. Chronic exposure to the chemicals in hair straightener products has also been linked to increased risks of ovarian cancer and breast cancer, and other health conditions involving the female reproductive system, such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis.

Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit

Almost as soon as the Sister Study was published with its findings linking chemical hair relaxers to cancer, women across the country began filing lawsuits. These are product liability claims against some of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world, including L’Oréal, Dabur, and Godrej. These companies manufacture well-known brands such as Dark & Lovely, Africa’s Best, Motions, and Just for Me—products that many women have used for most of their lives, often beginning in childhood.

In January 2023, the growing number of federal lawsuits led to the formation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Chicago. This consolidated all of the hair relaxer cancer cases under one judge, making it easier to manage early discovery, streamline legal arguments, and prepare for bellwether trials that might shape the future of the litigation. There were fewer than 50 cases when the MDL was formed. By the end of the year, the number had ballooned to over 8,000.

That rapid growth was partly driven by women connecting the dots between long-term relaxer use and serious diagnoses like uterine or ovarian cancer. It was also helped along by a wave of legal advertising—some useful, some just noise, all of it impossible to miss.

The women filing these lawsuits say they used chemical relaxers regularly, month after month, often for years. Many were later diagnosed with reproductive cancers. Their claims are straightforward: these companies failed to warn them. They marketed the products as safe, never mentioned the potential risks, and continued selling them despite growing scientific concerns.

Now, in 2025, the litigation is entering a more serious phase. Discovery is well underway, expert reports are coming into focus, and the first trial dates are now officially scheduled. The initial bellwether trial is scheduled to begin on November 3, 2025, with a second to follow in February 2026. These trials will be the first real test of the plaintiffs’ claims in front of a jury, and their outcomes could shape the path toward settlement or set the stage for a much longer fight. For many of the women at the center of this litigation, it is not just about compensation. It is about accountability. It is about answers. And it is about forcing billion-dollar corporations to finally reckon with the harm caused by products they sold for decades without warning.

 

Predicted Settlement Value of Hair Relaxer Lawsuits

The hair relaxer lawsuits are likely to be resolved through a global settlement, in which the defendants agree to set aside a substantial sum of money for a settlement fund to compensate plaintiffs. In global settlements like this, individual plaintiffs are ranked into “tiers” for purposes of determining the amount of their settlement payout. Plaintiffs with strong claims are in the highest settlement tiers and get more money.

In the hair relaxer class action, uterine cancer cases are expected to fall within the highest settlement tier due to compelling scientific evidence establishing a causal link between hair relaxer use and uterine cancer (as demonstrated in the Sister Study). Additionally, uterine cancer is deemed a more serious injury when compared to uterine fibroids or endometriosis.

Our attorneys estimate that the settlement compensation for hair relaxer-related uterine cancer cases may range from $300,000 to $1,750,000. The wide range in this estimated value is due to the fact that individual uterine cancer cases may be valued differently based on specific circumstances surrounding each case. We think a successful ovarian cancer case could have an average settlement value of $150,000 to $450,000 if things go as planned.  The value for ovarian cancer cases is lower because the causation evidence is not as strong.

Now let’s focus on the projected average per-person settlement amounts. Here is one guess of how it could pay out:

Projected Hair Relaxer Settlement Payouts by Injury Type

Injury Type	Estimated Average Settlement Range	Tier Level	Notes
Uterine Cancer	$250,000 – $500,000	Tier 1 (Highest)	Strongest causation evidence (Sister Study); most serious injury
Ovarian Cancer	$100,000 – $200,000	Tier 2	Moderate causation support; significant injury but less conclusive linkage
Uterine Fibroids	$5,000 – $75,000	Tier 3	Weaker causation; payout depends on surgical history and complications
Endometriosis	$2,500 – $40,000	Tier 4 (Lowest)	Limited scientific support; typically non-life-threatening condition

Remember the non-cancer cases are be pursued outside of the MDL, but our lawyers are still taking these claims.  We are talking average here.  You would expect claims that are much higher and much lower.

Contact Us About a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

If you used a chemical hair straightener and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, contact our office today for a free consultation at 888-322-3010, or get a free online consultation.