2025 Hair Relaxer Lawsuit News

Pending hair relaxer lawsuits in the MDL have broken through the 10,000 barrier in May 2025 and now stand at 10,168. The lawsuits are consolidated as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) where individual plaintiffs who were harmed by hair relaxers seek damages in one streamlined litigation process.


The MDL entitled Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation is presided over by Judge Mary M. Rowland. Judge Rowland had previously denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss certain claims in the MDL, allowing claims alleging failure to warn, negligence, and strict liability to proceed

Appointment of Special Master for Hair Relaxer MDL

On April 30, 2025, Judge Rowland appointed Ellen K. Reisman as the Special Master for the Hair Relaxer MDL. Reisman’s role is to facilitate settlement discussions between plaintiffs and defendants, ensuring negotiations remain structured and impartial.

However, this appointment doesn’t guarantee an imminent settlement. Bellwether trials are still expected to proceed

New Rules for Restarting Hair Relaxer Cases

On March 31, 2025, a new court order set rules for restarting cases in the Hair Relaxer MDL after being dismissed without prejudice. Plaintiffs who want to continue their lawsuits must act quickly and refile in federal court. Those with the same lawyer can file a motion to restart their case, but they need to submit detailed paperwork about their claims within ten days. Plaintiffs with a new lawyer have to start fresh by filing a new case.


While companies being sued won’t block cases filed on time, they can still argue against them using legal defenses like expired deadlines. If there’s an issue with how a case was dismissed, plaintiffs must seek a solution with the defendants first before asking the court for help..

Plaintiffs Deadline Passed in February 2025

Plaintiffs who filed their initial lawsuits on or before February 1, 2024, must have completed and submitted their plaintiff fact sheets (PFSs) by February 28, 2025. These fact sheets contain detailed information about each plaintiff’s injuries and are vital for the pre-trial discovery process. Plaintiffs should collaborate with an attorney to ensure their PFSs are accurate and accepted by the court. The oral discovery deadline is set for September 30, 2025.

New Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Filed

On April 27, 2025, an Illinois woman filed a lawsuit in the Hair Relaxer MDL, alleging that years of using chemical hair relaxers caused her to develop cancer. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, names L’Oréal USA, Avlon Industries, and other manufacturers as defendants.


The plaintiff claims she regularly used these products over several years, unaware of the potential health risks. She argues that the companies failed to warn consumers, leading to her injuries and extensive medical treatment.


On May 1, 2025, a Michigan woman filed a complaint in the MDL, claiming that long-term exposure to chemical hair straighteners led to her ovarian cancer diagnosis.

New Scientific Studies Examine Link Between Hair Products and Cancer

A 2024 study published in the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology observed associations between chemicals found in hair relaxers and certain cancers, particularly breast and ovarian cancer.


The study points to chemicals such as aromatic amines, parabens, formaldehyde, resorcinol, and ammonia as major contributors. These substances can enter the human body through the scalp and are known endocrine disruptors. This means they interfere with hormones and could increase the likelihood of cancer and other health problems.


A new study from January 2025 examined the scientific studies and literature available to look for evidence that hair relaxers, commonly used by Black women in the US, increase cancer risk. After reviewing nearly 1,400 studies, researchers say they have not found compelling evidence that hair relaxers are linked to breast, ovarian, or uterine cancers. However, researchers did find a possible connection to uterine fibroids.


The review also noted that none of the studies analyzed the chemical makeup of hair relaxers.

Formaldehyde Ban on Hold for Now

After a Trump executive order paused all federal regulations, the proposed ban on formaldehyde in hair relaxers is now in doubt. Originally, the FDA aimed to make a decision by April 2024, which was later delayed to September 2024 and then faced further delays to the end of the year.


Currently, only three states (Maryland, California, and Washington) have banned formaldehyde from hair products at the state level. Although a federal ban is unlikely now, the states with bans continue to enforce them, emphasizing a need for stricter regulations due to health concerns.


Formaldehyde has been linked to cancer, especially among Black women, leading to calls from plaintiffs’ lawyers and victim support groups for stricter regulations.

May 2025 Bellwether Process Update

In January 2025, lawyers on both sides gave the MDL judge their plans for handling the bellwether trials. The plaintiffs’ plan was to select 16 cases by February 2025 and have the first trial in September 2025.


However, Judge Mary Rowland has devised a new plan for the bellwether trials. Instead of selecting 16 cases, the court recently ordered both parties to identify 20 cases each by April 30, 2025, resulting in 40 potential bellwether cases in total. These cases will go through bellwether discovery, which is due to be completed by February 16, 2026. The list of cases will eventually be narrowed down to 10 by March 2026. 



The aim is to select and try representative cases to help both sides evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments and evidence. The court has directed the parties to identify and exchange their selected cases by April 30, 2025.

Revlon Discovery Issues

In addition to hair relaxer manufacturer L’Oreal, manufacturer Revlon is also a main defendant named in hair relaxer lawsuits. Currently, Revlon is facing discovery issues related to the litigation. The manufacturer was expected to update its answers to a list of unclear product names provided by plaintiffs by February 18, 2025, or confirm that it can't identify the products. 


Since Revlon is in bankruptcy proceedings, it remains to be seen whether plaintiffs can successfully recover damages.

L’Oreal Facing Additional Legal Troubles in March 2025

L’Oreal’s legal challenges extend beyond hair relaxer litigation, with at least one California hair stylist filing suit against the company and other manufacturers in late February 2025. The stylist claims their bladder cancer resulted from long-term exposure to chemicals in professional hair coloring products. This case adds to growing concerns about occupational exposure to hair dye and hair relaxer chemicals.

What Is the Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

The hair relaxer lawsuit is what’s known as a “toxic tort,” or a lawsuit where consumers claim they have been harmed through exposure to dangerous products or chemicals. As of early 2025, there are 8,192 causes in the class action lawsuit involving hair relaxers. These lawsuits arose from the 2023 study referenced above.


To conduct the study, researchers used data from the Black Women’s Health Study to look at health outcomes for almost 45,000 self-identified Black women with intact uteruses from the years 1997 to 2019. They found that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers increased the risk for uterine cancer in postmenopausal women, giving plaintiffs the scientifically backed data they needed to pursue uterine cancer lawsuits for hair relaxers.


These lawsuits show similar impacts to the talcum powder actions, where women also report developing cancer in their reproductive systems. It is all part of greater awareness regarding chemical exposure and its effects on health and the environment.

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Understanding the Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

In light of recent findings, you may be able to file a hair relaxer cancer lawsuit if you used hair straightening products and subsequently developed uterine, breast or endometrial cancer. Regarding eligibility for a hair relaxer lawsuit, fibroids may also qualify you.

Hair Relaxer MDL

Many hair relaxer lawsuits are being filed into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The hair relaxer MDL is a consolidated lawsuit that includes thousands of victims who developed uterine cancer, breast cancer, fibroids, and other related conditions after using chemical hair relaxers.


An MDL is different from a traditional class action lawsuit. Hair relaxer settlements in MDLs distribute proceeds on a case-by-case basis, according to each plaintiff’s claim, and each case in an MDL remains separate. Essentially, plaintiffs in MDLs remain distinct plaintiffs rather than taking on the status of a group.

Class Action Lawsuits for Hair Relaxers

A class action lawsuit receives a settlement to the class, not the individuals. Class members receive proceeds from one large settlement based on their damages. Under this scenario, those facing the worst damages (like family members who lost loved ones due to hair relaxer cancers) receive the largest payouts. These payouts may not cover all damages as well as an individual lawsuit.

Is the Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Legitimate?

There are more than 8,000 pending cases, making their MDL hair relaxer lawsuit on track to represent thousands of individual plaintiffs in their pursuit of justice. While the number of cases between June and July increased modestly (8,170 to 8,192), more victims will likely file suits.


The court scheduled the initial trial for November 3, 2025, and a second one for February 2, 2026. As they do for most defective product matters, a jury will decide these cases