Hair Relaxer

Companies have an obligation not to release unsafe products. Unfortunately, businesses don’t always live up to that obligation. When a company releases a dangerous product, or doesn’t warn consumers of the risks of its products, that business can be held liable for resulting losses.

Manufacturers of popular hair relaxing lawsuits may have failed to fulfill their duty, as studies have linked chemical hair straighteners to an increased risk of uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. Thousands of women are pursuing claims against relaxer manufacturers, with plaintiffs alleging companies knew of the risks and failed to properly disclose the danger.

This guide provides more insight into the risks of hair relaxers, as well as your rights if you have been harmed by haircare products you expected to be safe.

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What are hair relaxers?

Primarily used by African American women, chemical hair relaxers are designed to strengthen tightly coiled or curly hair by breaking disulfide bonds within the hair’s cortex layer. Most hair relaxers fall into one of two types:

• Base relaxers, which require a proactive cream around the scalp before being applied
• No-base relaxers, which include a protective cream within them

Both types contain chemicals, including ammonium thioglycolate, sodium hydroxide, and sodium thiglycolate. Because hair relaxers must break down the cortex lawyer and change the hair’s texture, the chemicals in the relaxers must be strong enough to penetrate the outer cuticle layer that protects the hair.

Unfortunately, some relaxers have also been found to include hazardous chemicals including:

• Parabens:  Parabens are endocrine disruptors that can mimic estrogen in the body. They can cause abnormal cell growth and have been linked to hormone sensitive cancers including breast, uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.
• Phthalates: Phthalates are also endocrine disrupters, and can result in increased cancer risks, as well as decreased fertility and developmental issues.
• Formaldehyde: The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifieds formaldehyde as a human carcinogen as prolonged exposure increases the risk of developing certain types of cancers.

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Potential Health Risks of Hair Relaxers

The safety of chemical hair relaxers has repeatedly been called into question. However, the most comprehensive research into their dangers was completed only recently. In 2022, the National Institute of Health released a large-scale study of more than 33,000 women.

The researchers discovered those who reported using chemical straighteners four or more times in the prior year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to those who did not frequently use hair relaxers. In total, of the 33,000 women participants, 378 developed uterine cancer.

With this increased risk, 4.05% of women who frequently used hair relaxers were predicted to develop uterine cancer prior to the time they turned 70. By contrast, just 1.64% of women who had never used a chemical straightener would develop uterine cancer by that age.

The increased cancer risk can be linked to the relaxer’s dangerous ingredients, because, as mentioned above, research has demonstrated chemical hair straighteners include endocrine disruptors that have long been established as having carcinogenic properties.

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FDA Actions Against Hair Straighteners

Under the Biden Administration, the FDA planned to impose a new ban on some of the dangerous chemicals found in chemical hair straighteners, including Formaldehyde. The future of the proposed ban is unclear under the Trump Administration.

Advocacy groups, including international organizations, have also urged manufacturers to voluntarily discontinue the sale of chemical hair relaxers due to the elevated cancer risk they present.

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Why Are Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Being Filed?

Victims who used hair relaxer and who developed cancer of the ovaries, endometrium, or uterus are filing lawsuits to hold the manufactures of chemical hair relaxers liable for losses.

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History of Hair Relaxer Lawsuits and Recent Case Updates

More than 10,000 claims have been filed against manufacturers of hair relaxers, and the cases have been consolidated into a multi-district litigation in the Northern District of Illinois.  MDLs make it easier for many victims harmed by the same cause to pursue justice.

With an MDL, individual plaintiffs still have their own separate claims, but many claims arising from a similar set of facts are moved before one judge. The judge can decide on issues affecting all of the pending claims, making it faster to move cases forward. Bellwether or test cases can also be selected and go to trial, providing insight into how the cases will be handled in court and guiding settlement discussions.

As of May 2025, the case is still moving through the discovery process during which information is exchanged to help each party build their case. The first of the bellwether trials is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with a subsequent trial scheduled February 2, 2026.

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Can You Still File a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?  

You can still file a hair relaxer lawsuit. Plaintiffs nationwide are joining in litigation to hold manufacturers of dangerous chemical straighteners liable for the harm they experienced.

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Who can file a hair relaxer lawsuit

You may be able to file a hair relaxer lawsuit if you use chemical straighteners for a prolonged period and developed uterine, endometrial, or ovarian cancer.

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How To File a Lawsuit Based On Complications of Hair Relaxers

If you or someone you love developed cancer after using hair relaxer, you should get legal help ASAP to see if you can pursue a damage claim. You have limited time to act, so contact us today to get matched with a skilled lawyer familiar with these claims who can help you pursue justice.

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