Hair Relaxer Updates

Chemical hair relaxers are designed to break disulfide bonds within the cortex layer of the hair in order to strengthen curly or coiled hair. 

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Unfortunately, these relaxers contain strong chemicals, including parabens, phthalates, and Formaldehyde. These chemicals have been linked to numerous health issues, including an increased risk of breast, uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.

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After large-scale studies established these health risks, users of hair relaxers began taking action and pursuing damage claims against manufacturers of hair relaxer products. This litigation has been progressing, and here are some of the key developments to be aware of. 
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December 9, 2025

There are 10,844 pending claims in the hair relaxer MDL

September 29, 2025

Judge Rowland ruled on defense requests to dismiss cases that did not comply with Case Management Order 9. Many cases were dismissed without prejudice and can be refiled if plaintiffs promptly complete and submit fact sheets and authorizations. One case was dismissed with prejudice. 

September 18, 2025 

Judge Rowland extended the deadline for plaintiffs to complete expert disclosures to December 1.  Defendants must provide their reports by January 6, 2026, and plaintiffs will have until January 20, 2026, to submit rebuttals. 

September 1, 2025 

Science day has been scheduled for January 8, 2026. The purpose of the science day is to provide insight to the court on the scientific issues that are at the heart of the litigation. Plaintiffs will present their evidence in the morning, and defendants can respond in the afternoon. No rulings, testimony, or cross-examination will take place.

June 23, 2025 

Dozens of lawsuits were formally consolidated into a mass tort program by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to enable those cases to be managed as a unified docket.

February 2, 2025 

A revised bellwether trial plan was published for the MDL with the following key dates: 

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• April 30, 2025: Each party will identify 20 bellwether cases and exchange this information.
• September 30, 2025: Oral fact discovery will close
• February 16, 2026: Case-specific fact discovery deadline 
• March 2, 2026: General caution expert discovery will conclude and the court will rule on the bellwether case selection
• April 1, 2026: Daubert motions must be filed by this date
• May 1, 2026: Additional case-specific fact discovery for bellwether cases will end
• October 16, 2026: Case-specific and all other expert discovery closes
• November 16, 2026: Deadline for Daubert motions on non-general causation and deadline to file for summary judgment
• 2027: First bellwether trials are expected to begin in MDL

January 8, 2024

The court set dates for initial bellwether trials:

• November 23, 2025 
• February 2, 2026

November 14, 2023

Judge Mary M. Rowland dismissed a motion to dismiss filed by the defendants, ruling that federal law doesn’t invalidate state law claims alleging negligence and product liability

October 19, 2023

The FDA proposed a new ban on using formaldehyde in all hair relaxer products. Formaldehyde has been linked to leukemia and various other types of cancer,

April 2023:

Research from Boston University’s School of Public Health identified a link between reduced fertility and the use of hair relaxers. 

March 2023: 

The pace of new lawsuits increased as the first status conference took place in the MDL. A new order allowed plaintiffs to file hair relaxer lawsuits directly in the MDL, so they no longer needed to file in their home state and wait for their claim to be transferred to the MDL.

February 2023: 

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated federal hair relaxer lawsuits into MDL No. 3060 in the Northern District of Illinois under Judge Mary M. Rowland. The lawsuit was focused on cancer risks associated with hair relaxers from L’Oréal and other brands.

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November 2022: 

Four women filed lawsuits against L'Oréal and other companies, alleging that they developed uterine cancer and other health problems as a result of their use of hair relaxer products. 

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