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Home / Mass Tort / Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
A hair relaxer lawsuit may be an option if you used chemical straighteners for years and were later diagnosed with uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer. Every six to eight weeks, for as long as you can remember. Maybe your mother did it at the kitchen sink when you were seven. Maybe it was Saturday mornings at the salon.
The burning meant it was working — that is what everyone said. Nobody ever told you what was in the box, or what it might do years later.
Used chemical hair relaxers?
About 2 minutes · free · private
Eligibility
You may qualify if these describe you or someone you love. These are the guidelines participating law firms use when they review a hair relaxer lawsuit claim. For background, see the NIH study on hair straightening chemicals and uterine cancer.
About four or more times a year, over several years. Many women in this litigation used them every six to eight weeks for decades.
It does not matter who applied it. Professional salon treatments and at-home box kits are both part of these claims.
Uterine cancer, endometrial cancer or ovarian cancer. These are the strongest claims and the only ones in the first trial group.
Many women began as children. Longer use over a lifetime generally makes a stronger case, and childhood exposure is part of what these claims describe.
That is normal and it is not a barrier. There are no pharmacy records in these cases. Your own account and your family’s memory carry real weight.
A spouse, child or estate representative may be able to bring a wrongful death claim. These deadlines usually start on the date of death.
Cannot name a single brand you used?
Almost no one can. These cases were never built on receipts. What matters is how often and how long, and that comes from you and the people who knew you. A free review takes about two minutes.
Meeting these guidelines does not mean you have a valid claim. It means a participating law firm is likely to review it. That firm decides on its own whether to take your case. Some claims are turned down, and some recover nothing. Direct2Attorney cannot judge the legal merits of your case, give legal advice, or file anything for you.
Common worries
Many women who could ask for a review never do. These are the reasons we hear most, and what is actually true.
What holds people back
Almost nobody remembers product names from twenty or thirty years ago.
What is true
There are no pharmacy records, so what matters is your use history. That can come from your own account, family members who did your hair or saw you use it, and salon records where they still exist.
What holds people back
Some women think only professional treatments count.
What is true
It does not matter who applied it. At-home box kits are part of these claims too.
What holds people back
Relaxers were so common that the link can feel impossible.
What is true
A 2022 NIH study reported that women who used chemical straighteners more than four times a year had roughly double the risk of uterine cancer. It shows an association, not proof for any one woman.
What holds people back
Thousands of cases can make it feel like the line has closed.
What is true
New claims keep joining MDL 3060 every month. No global settlement has been announced, and your state’s deadline is the date that matters.
About the products
Chemical relaxers straighten hair by breaking the bonds that give it curl. Doing that takes harsh chemistry — usually lye or a lye substitute, applied directly to the scalp and left there until the hair gives.
The scalp is not like the rest of your skin. It absorbs more, and relaxers frequently caused burns, sores and open cuts. That gave the chemicals a direct route into the body, over and over, for years.
Testing has found endocrine-disrupting chemicals in these products. That includes phthalates, parabens and, in some formulas, formaldehyde or chemicals that release it. Endocrine disruptors interfere with hormones. The cancers in this litigation — uterine, endometrial and ovarian — are hormone-driven.
These products were marketed overwhelmingly to Black women and girls, often from early childhood. The lawsuits allege the manufacturers knew about the risks and never put a warning on the box.
How the harm is said to happen
Chemicals sit on the scalp
Burns, sores and cuts open a direct route into the body.
Hormone disruptors get in
Phthalates, parabens and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals interfere with hormones.
Hormone-driven cancers follow
The claims link years of use to uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health followed tens of thousands of women over years. Those who used chemical straighteners frequently — more than four times a year — had roughly double the risk of uterine cancer compared with women who never used them. That study is the reason this litigation exists. It is also why cases kept getting filed after it was published.
Studies like this report patterns across large groups of people. They are strong evidence of an association. They do not prove what caused any one woman’s cancer. The manufacturers dispute causation entirely. Proving it case by case is the central fight in this litigation, and it is happening right now.
| Company named in claims | What to know |
|---|---|
| L’Oréal | Named as a defendant in MDL 3060 |
| SoftSheen-Carson | Named as a defendant in MDL 3060 |
| Revlon | Named as a defendant in MDL 3060 |
| Other manufacturers | Additional makers of chemical relaxers and straighteners are also named |
Company names are used only to identify the parties at issue. Direct2Attorney is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any manufacturer, the NIH, or any court.
The medical side, in plain words
No single treatment is the concern. The claims describe years of repeated contact. These are the four things firms look at most.
The NIH study focused on women who used straighteners more than four times a year. Every six to eight weeks is far more than that.
Use that went on for decades builds the most exposure, and longer use generally makes a stronger case.
Burns and open cuts on the scalp gave the chemicals an easier way into the body.
Many women began before their teens, during years when the body is still developing.
Uterine cancer is highly treatable when caught early
Post-menopausal bleeding is never normal and should always be checked. That matters more than any lawsuit.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the cancer, its stage and your wishes about fertility. Each step also leaves a record, and in a hair relaxer lawsuit those records later show what the illness has cost you.
This page is general information and not medical advice. Your gynecologic oncologist decides your care.
Diagnosis
An ultrasound, a sample of the uterine lining, or scans help find and stage the cancer.
Main treatment
Surgery to remove the uterus, often with the ovaries and fallopian tubes, is the most common treatment for uterine cancer.
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is usually treated with surgery to remove as much cancer as possible, followed by chemotherapy.
Added care
Depending on the stage, doctors may add radiation, hormone therapy or immunotherapy.
Afterwards
Removing the ovaries brings on menopause right away. Doctors can help manage the symptoms.
The hidden cost
For many women, treatment means losing the ability to have children. That loss matters in a claim.
Quick self-check
If you can say yes to most of these, it is worth asking for a free review.
Did you use chemical relaxers or straighteners about four or more times a year?
Did that use go on for several years, at a salon or at home?
Has a doctor diagnosed you, or a loved one, with uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer?
Did the relaxer use start before the diagnosis?
Requirements
You do not need any of this to start. A firm collects it for you. But every claim is built on these four things.
A use history
How often and how long, from you and witnesses.
Proof of the cancer
Medical and pathology records.
A link between them
Expert science tying use to the cancer.
Filed in time
Each state sets its own deadline.
Case status
Cases are consolidated as MDL 3060 before Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois, one of the largest MDLs in the country. Defendants include L’Oréal, SoftSheen-Carson, Revlon and other manufacturers. Additional cases are also being filed in state courts in Philadelphia, Atlanta and New York.
The next six months decide a great deal
Before any trial happens, the court has to decide whether the plaintiffs’ scientific experts may testify at all. This is called a Daubert ruling. If the court excludes the plaintiffs’ causation experts, this litigation could largely collapse. That is not a scare tactic — it happened in the Tylenol autism MDL, which ended without a single trial after the experts were thrown out.
NIH study published
Frequent straightener use is linked to roughly double the risk of uterine cancer. Lawsuits follow.
Cases grouped as MDL 3060
Federal hair relaxer cases are combined in one court in Chicago.
The judge takes over the trial picks
Judge Rowland scrapped the system where each side took turns picking test cases and selected 10 herself — more than the three originally planned.
11,877 cases pending
Roughly 150 cases were added in June alone. A court-appointed special master is overseeing settlement talks.
Expert arguments expected
Argument on the scientific experts is expected late in 2026, with a decision in early 2027.
First trials expected
First trials are expected around mid-2027. No global settlement has been announced.
12,381 cases pending
As of October 1, 2026. New claims continue to be filed.
One important limit on who is in the first trials. The cases the court selected for the first trials are limited to uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer claims. Fibroid and endometriosis claims exist in the litigation, but they sit outside the trial track for now.
Please read this part
The most common early sign of uterine cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding — bleeding between periods, unusually heavy periods, or any bleeding after menopause. Post-menopausal bleeding is never normal and should always be checked.
Uterine cancer is highly treatable when it is caught early. If you have used relaxers for years and notice bleeding, pelvic pain or unusual discharge, see a gynecologist. That matters more than any lawsuit. This page is general information and not medical advice.
Compensation
If a claim succeeds, compensation is meant to cover what the illness has cost you — in money, in work, and in life. Here is what these claims typically seek.
No one can tell you what your claim is worth before reviewing your records, and no one can promise you will recover anything at all. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
The process
You do not need brand names, receipts or records to start. Tell us what you remember and the firm does the rest.
Fill out the short form or call. Roughly how often you used relaxers, for how many years, and what you were diagnosed with. It costs nothing.
If your situation fits, we connect you with a participating law firm. That firm decides on its own whether to represent you. If it does, you sign an agreement directly with the firm.
Medical and pathology records, plus statements from you and the people who did your hair or grew up with you. In these cases, lay witnesses matter more than paperwork.
Your case is filed in MDL 3060 or an appropriate state court. Your firm keeps you updated as the science rulings and first trials approach. You never have to accept an offer you do not want.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Step 1 takes about two minutes.
Deadlines
Every state sets its own time limit, called a statute of limitations. Your state’s filing deadline is running whether or not you look into it.
Deadlines vary by state, so the same facts can have different deadlines in different places.
In many states the clock starts when you learned your cancer might be linked to relaxers, not on the day you were diagnosed.
Wrongful death deadlines usually start on the date of death.
Only an attorney licensed in your state can confirm what applies to you.
Do not wait for the first trial
Deadlines keep running while the science rulings and trials play out. A free review can help you find out where you stand.
Why people use us
No upfront fees
The review is free. Participating firms work on contingency, so a fee is owed only out of a recovery. No recovery, no attorney fee.
Firms in this MDL
We connect you with firms already working inside MDL 3060 and following the expert rulings that will shape every case in it.
No brand names needed
Not remembering products from decades ago stops many women from calling. It should not. Your account of your own life is evidence.
Private and secure
Your information is encrypted and handled according to our Privacy Policy. You are never obligated to move forward.
What Direct2Attorney is
A legal marketing and referral service. We check whether your situation matches what participating law firms are looking for, and connect you with one of them if it does.
What Direct2Attorney is not
We are not a law firm. We cannot give you legal advice, represent you, or file anything on your behalf. Only a law firm you sign with can do that.
Firms are reviewing new hair relaxer claims
If you used chemical relaxers for years and were later diagnosed with uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer, find out where you stand. You do not need brand names or receipts. It takes about two minutes, it costs nothing, and your state’s filing deadline is running whether or not you look into it.
What happens after you ask
We check your answers
Usually the same business day
A participating firm may call you
At the time you choose
You decide what comes next
No cost and no obligation, ever
Questions
Still have a question? Ask it on the call. The review is free, and there is no obligation.
Start my free review →Participating law firms are generally reviewing claims from women who used chemical hair relaxers or straighteners regularly, about four or more times a year over several years, and were later diagnosed with uterine cancer, endometrial cancer or ovarian cancer. Salon use and at-home use both count. Family members may be able to bring a wrongful death claim for a loved one who died.
Yes. Almost nobody remembers brand names from twenty or thirty years ago, and the courts know that. These cases are built differently from drug cases. There are no pharmacy records, so what matters is your use history, and that can be established through your own account, family members who did your hair or saw you use it, and salon records where they still exist.
A 2022 study by the National Institutes of Health followed tens of thousands of women and reported that those who used chemical straighteners frequently, more than four times a year, had roughly double the risk of uterine cancer compared with women who did not use them. Other research has looked at similar questions. Studies like these report associations across large groups. They do not by themselves prove what caused any one woman’s cancer, and the manufacturers dispute causation.
Not soon. The first bellwether trials are expected around the middle of 2027. Before that, the court has to rule on whether the plaintiffs’ scientific experts can testify at all, with argument expected late in 2026 and a decision expected in early 2027. No global settlement has been announced. A court-appointed special master is overseeing settlement discussions.
Those claims exist in the litigation, but be aware of an important difference. The cases the court selected for the first trials are limited to uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer claims. That makes cancer claims the strongest right now. A fibroid or endometriosis claim may still be reviewed, but it sits outside the trial track.
Nothing to ask. The case review is free with no obligation. If a participating law firm takes your case, it will normally work on contingency. That means the fee comes out of a recovery, and no fee is owed if there is no recovery.
No. Direct2Attorney is a legal marketing and referral service, not a law firm. An attorney-client relationship may form only after a participating law firm reviews your information and signs a separate representation agreement with you.
As of October 1, 2026, the federal court reported 12,381 cases pending in MDL 3060, up from 11,877 on July 1, 2026. More cases are pending in state courts.
No. It does not matter who applied it. Professional salon treatments and at-home box kits are both part of these claims. What matters is how often you used them and for how many years.
In the news
Plain-English articles from our editorial team on the latest rulings, trials and deadlines, and what each one means if you are thinking about a claim.
Official resources
