Hair Product Class Action Lawsuits: Relaxer MDL and Shampoo Claims

If you are searching for a hair product class action lawsuit, the biggest active case is a federal multidistrict litigation over chemical hair relaxers and straighteners, which plaintiffs allege caused uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. More than 11,500 claims are pending in Chicago, with the first trials expected in 2027. Separately, several class actions over shampoos, conditioners, and styling products have already resolved or are winding through the courts.

The Hair Relaxer MDL

On February 6, 2023, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated dozens of cases into In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Mary M. Rowland was assigned to oversee it.¹²

Plaintiffs claim manufacturers knew their relaxers contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde-releasing compounds, but failed to warn users. The theory is that these ingredients mimic or block hormones, disrupt estrogen and progesterone activity, and over years of repeated use trigger tumor growth in hormone-sensitive organs.³

More than a dozen manufacturers and distributors have been named. L’Oréal and its subsidiary SoftSheen-Carson are the most prominent defendants, along with Revlon, Strength of Nature, Namaste Laboratories, Avlon, McBride Research Laboratories, AFAM Concept, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Wella Operations US, Luster Products, and Sally Beauty Supply, among others. Products at issue include Dark & Lovely, Just for Me, ORS Olive Oil, African Pride, Crème of Nature, Optimum Care, Mizani, Motions, TCB, Silk Elements, Design Essentials, Dr. Miracle’s, and Hawaiian Silky.⁴

What the Science Says

The lawsuits rely heavily on a 2022 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences study. Researchers followed more than 33,000 women in the Sister Study for an average of nearly 11 years. Women who reported using chemical hair straighteners were roughly twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who never used them. Frequent users, meaning more than four applications a year, had about two and a half times the risk.⁵⁶

In absolute terms, about 1.64% of women who never used straighteners would develop uterine cancer by age 70, compared with roughly 4.05% of frequent users. The researchers did not find a similar link for permanent dyes or perms.⁵⁶

A 2023 study drawing on the Black Women’s Health Study reached a similar conclusion. Postmenopausal Black women with 20 or more years of hair relaxer use had a 71% higher risk of uterine cancer compared with those who reported never or light use.⁷

Where the Relaxer Cases Stand

As of May 2026, 11,526 cases are pending in the federal MDL.⁴ The litigation remains in pretrial discovery and expert-challenge phases. No settlement has been reached, and no trial has occurred.

In January 2026, both sides held a Science Day to present scientific evidence to Judge Rowland.⁸ A bellwether discovery pool of 32 cases is being narrowed to 10 trial cases, with the judge personally excluding plaintiffs who have multiple cancer diagnoses or overlapping mass tort claims to keep the test cases clean on liability and causation.⁹ Defendants filed Daubert motions challenging plaintiffs’ expert witnesses by April 1, 2026, with the briefing concluding by mid-May. Those rulings could decide whether the plaintiffs’ scientific evidence reaches a jury at all.¹⁰

A summary judgment and case-specific Daubert deadline is set for November 16, 2026, and the first bellwether trials are expected to begin in 2027.¹⁰

State courts are handling parallel proceedings. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas created its own mass tort program on May 6, 2025, under Judge Joshua Roberts, and in May 2026 ordered defendants to produce witnesses within 30 to 45 days.¹¹ Illinois state courts have coordinated proceedings with cohort trials tentatively planned for late 2026 and early 2027.¹² And in October 2025, the Georgia Supreme Court held unanimously in Burroughs v. Strength of Nature Global that Georgia’s 10-year statute of repose runs separately for each product purchase, letting a plaintiff proceed as long as she bought relaxers within the 10 years before filing.¹³

Who Can File a Relaxer Claim

The litigation focuses on women who used chemical hair relaxers regularly over several years and were later diagnosed with uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, or ovarian cancer. Some claims involve uterine fibroids that required a hysterectomy.¹⁴ Professional stylists and cosmetologists with heavy occupational exposure have been described as having particularly strong claims.¹²

Statutes of limitations vary by state. Plaintiffs in the federal MDL must file short-form complaints and detailed fact sheets within court-ordered deadlines, and missing those deadlines can result in dismissal.¹²

What a Relaxer Case Could Be Worth

No settlement has been announced. The bellwether trials are widely viewed as the event that will shape settlement talks. Some plaintiffs’ attorneys have projected that a global resolution could materialize as early as late 2026, with payouts potentially starting in 2027 if a deal is reached before the first trials.¹⁴

One plaintiffs’ firm has estimated that a strong toxic hair relaxer claim could be worth between $400,000 and $1.75 million, depending on the type and stage of cancer, duration of use, and the number of manufacturers involved.¹⁵ Those are projections, not guaranteed amounts, and real outcomes will depend heavily on how the bellwether trials go and whether the plaintiffs’ scientific evidence survives the Daubert challenges.

Shampoo, Conditioner, and Styling Product Class Actions

DMDM Hydantoin in Shampoos

A separate wave of lawsuits targeted shampoo and conditioner brands over DMDM hydantoin, a preservative that slowly releases formaldehyde. Plaintiffs alleged it caused hair loss and scalp irritation. The most prominent case, Lipetz v. Unilever, was filed in 2020 over the TRESemmé Keratin Smooth line and remains active in the Northern District of Illinois as of April 2025, with no class certification ruling or trial date set.¹⁶ Unilever says its products are safe and that DMDM hydantoin is a widely used preservative recognized by health authorities. The company had previously settled a related suit over its Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion line for $10.2 million in 2014, following a 2012 recall prompted by similar hair-loss complaints.¹⁷

A class action against Johnson & Johnson over DMDM hydantoin in its OGX shampoos was filed in 2021 and was under review at the time of reporting.¹⁸ The broader DMDM hydantoin investigation was closed in October 2022, with outcomes described as varying across the different cases filed.¹⁹

Wen Hair Care

Celebrity stylist Chaz Dean and marketer Guthy-Renker faced a class action alleging that Wen Cleansing Conditioner caused hair loss and scalp irritation, claims that also drew more than 21,000 consumer complaints to the FDA.²⁰ A federal judge in Los Angeles approved a $26 million class settlement in 2017. Consumers with undocumented claims received about $25, while those with medical documentation of severe reactions such as baldness could receive up to $20,000. More than 54,000 claims were submitted.²¹

DevaCurl

DevaCurl settled a class action in January 2022 for $5.2 million after consumers alleged the products caused hair loss, damage, and scalp irritation. More than 54,000 claims were filed. Consumers without documentation received roughly $14 each, while those with medical records of severe reactions received an average of about $5,500, with a maximum payout of $19,000. The company also agreed to labeling changes.²²

Olaplex

Olaplex faced a lawsuit alleging that its bond-building hair treatments caused hair loss and breakage. On July 11, 2023, a court granted Olaplex’s motion to sever and dismiss, with all plaintiffs dismissed without prejudice. The company maintains that its products do not cause hair loss.²³

Paul Mitchell “Made in USA” Claims

In March 2025, a proposed class action was filed in Illinois federal court against John Paul Mitchell Systems, alleging the company deceptively labels its Tea Tree and MITCH product lines as “Made in the USA” despite using foreign-sourced ingredients like tea tree oil, jojoba, shea butter, and agave. The case remains active with no settlement reported.²⁴

The Regulatory Backdrop

The FDA has been working on a proposed rule to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair smoothing and straightening products, but the agency has missed its own deadline at least six times. The most recent target, December 31, 2025, came and went without a published proposal. An FDA spokesperson said in January 2026 that the rule “continues to remain a priority” but gave no firm timeline.²⁵²⁶

California and Maryland went ahead on their own, enacting laws that ban formaldehyde and other toxic ingredients from personal care products effective January 1, 2025.²⁷ At the federal level, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, passed in December 2022, requires manufacturers to register facilities with the FDA, list ingredients, report serious adverse events within 15 business days, and maintain safety records. It also gave the FDA new authority to order mandatory recalls.²⁸ The law does not single out relaxers, but it applies to them.

Market behavior has shifted alongside the lawsuits. Sally Beauty discontinued its remaining chemical hair relaxer products during the litigation and has tried to keep that decision out of evidence. Sales of professional chemical relaxers fell from $71 million in 2011 to $30 million in 2021 as awareness of possible health risks grew.²⁹

1
Duane Morris LLP. JPML Consolidates Dozens of Lawsuits in Hair Relaxer MDL in Illinois Federal Court
2
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. MDL Details – Case 23-cv-00818
3
Motley Rice. Dark and Lovely Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
4
Motley Rice. Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
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American Cancer Society. Study Finds Possible Link Between Hair Straightening Chemicals and Uterine Cancer
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JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Use of Straighteners and Other Hair Products and Incident Uterine Cancer
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PubMed. Hair Relaxer Use and Risk of Uterine Cancer in the Black Women’s Health Study
8
Drugwatch. Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
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TorHoerman Law. Hair Straightener Cancer Lawsuit
10
Verus LLC. Judge Appoints MDL 3060 Leadership Team for Hair Products Litigation
11
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. In Re: Hair Relaxer Products Liability Litigation
12
Lawsuit Information Center. Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
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Georgia Recorder. Court Ruling Allows Georgia Woman to Pursue Lawsuit Against Makers of Hair Relaxer Products
14
Miller & Zois. Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
15
Environmental Litigation Group. What Amount of Money for a Toxic Hair Relaxer Claim
16
Expert Institute. TRESemmé Faces Class Action Over Hair Loss Claims
17
Top Class Actions. Class Action Lawsuit Claims Maker of TRESemmé Liable for Hair Loss, Scalp Burns
18
Cosmetics & Toiletries. Suit Alleges J&J’s OGX Shampoo, Conditioners Cause Hair Loss
19
ClassAction.org. DMDM Hydantoin Formaldehyde Shampoo Lawsuit
20
Gilman & Bedigian. More Than 21,000 Complaints Made Against Wen Hair Care; FDA Investigates
21
Top Class Actions. Wen Hair Care Products Class Action Settlement
22
Bloomberg Law. DevaCurl $5.2 Million Hair Products Injury Deal Gets Final Nod
23
Olaplex. Health and Safety
24
ClassAction.org. John Paul Mitchell Systems Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Hair Care Products Made in USA Claims
25
CNN. Hair Straightening Formaldehyde FDA Deadline
26
Powers Health. FDA Misses Deadline to Ban Formaldehyde in Hair Straighteners
27
CalMatters. California Cosmetics Ban
28
Personal Care Products Council. Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA)
29
Mass Tort Ad Agency. Hair Relaxer Lawsuit: Here Is What You Need to Know