Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in chemical hair-straightening products, including phthalates (e.g., DEHP), parabens, and phenols; certain hair-smoothing formulas also release formaldehyde when heated · L'Oréal and other manufacturers, including SoftSheen-Carson, Revlon, Strength of Nature, Namaste Laboratories, Godrej, and Dabur · updated June 2026
Thousands of women allege in federal court that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers and straighteners caused uterine and other reproductive cancers; the cases are consolidated in MDL No. 3060 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Mary M. Rowland. The claims are allegations only — no court has found that hair relaxers cause cancer, and no general settlement has been reached as of mid-2026.
This page is general information about ongoing litigation and FDA safety actions — not medical or legal advice, and not a statement that Chemical Hair Relaxer caused any injury. Allegations described here are claims that have not been proven in court. Always consult a licensed professional.
Plaintiffs allege that long-term, repeated use of chemical hair relaxers and straightening products exposed them to endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including phthalates such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), parabens, and phenols — that they contend interfere with the body's hormones and increased their risk of hormone-driven cancers and reproductive injuries, particularly uterine and endometrial cancer. They further allege that the manufacturers knew or should have known of these risks, failed to adequately warn consumers, and disproportionately marketed the products to Black women. These remain unproven allegations; defendants deny the claims, and no court has found that chemical hair relaxers cause cancer. Nothing here is legal or medical advice.
No FDA recall, boxed warning, or final rule has been issued for chemical hair relaxers in connection with the cancer claims. The FDA has a proposed rule on its regulatory agenda (RIN 0910-AI83), "Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products," which would ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals (such as methylene glycol) from such products. The notice of proposed rulemaking was targeted for April 2024 but has been repeatedly delayed and, as of January 2026, had still not been published. The FDA has separately warned for years that hair-smoothing products can release formaldehyde gas (a known carcinogen) when heated; this formaldehyde concern is related to but distinct from the endocrine-disruptor theory driving the relaxer-cancer lawsuits.
The federal cases are consolidated as MDL No. 3060, In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, created by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation by transfer order dated February 6, 2023, and centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Mary M. Rowland. As of mid-2026, the MDL had grown to roughly 11,500 plaintiffs, making it one of the larger active MDLs in the country. The litigation is in discovery; the court selected an initial group of about 10 bellwether cases in April 2026, with the first bellwether trials not expected until 2027. No global settlement had been reached as of June 2026.