For decades, women trusted chemical hair straighteners and relaxers to help them change their looks. However, in the present day, it's believed that using these hair relaxer products could lead to a higher risk of cancer.
BOSTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 18, 2026 / A recent report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that women who used hair straighteners or relaxers 4 times or more within a 1-year span were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. 60% of those who used such products were Black women.
Now, women who relied on hair relaxers and straighteners are taking action through lawsuits to pursue justice for what happened.
Over 10,000 claims have been filed in a type of collective product liability lawsuit known as a multidistrict litigation (MDL) by women who allege their cancer diagnoses stem from the use of these products.
Her Case Matters, a national resource dedicated to supporting women who were harmed unfairly, is monitoring the latest chemical hair straightener litigation closely to help those affected make more informed choices.
Understanding this litigation requires understanding why chemical hair relaxers became so popular among women of color. Hair straightening was not simply a cosmetic preference - for many Black women, it was a response to discrimination.
Historically, up to 95% of adult Black women have used hair relaxers at some point. A recent Michigan State University study found that 80% of Black women felt the need to straighten their hair to fit in at work, with 66% reporting they felt obligated to straighten their hair before a job interview.
The companies that manufactured, marketed, and profited from that pressure may have known that the chemicals in hair straighteners could cause harm. Ongoing lawsuits seek to right these wrongs.
Chemical hair straightener litigation centers on a landmark 2022 study from the NIH, where it was found that women who frequently used hair straighteners were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who did not. Around 6 out of 10 study participants were Black women.
The NIH study was not an isolated finding. A follow-up study published in Environmental Research found that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers was associated with higher odds of uterine cancer, with women using relaxers for 20 or more years showing a 71% higher risk compared to those who didn't use them.
Earlier studies from the same cohort had also connected hair relaxers to uterine fibroids, a condition estimated to affect 80% of Black women over their lifetime, as well as to links with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and earlier onset of puberty in girls.
It's believed that hair relaxers may contain toxic substances, including formaldehyde, parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A, metals, and sodium hydroxide. These can mimic or amplify estrogen in the body, disrupting normal hormones and increasing the odds of cancer.
The hair relaxer MDL was established in February 2023 in the Northern District of Illinois. As of July 2026, there are 11,877 plaintiffs in the federal hair relaxer MDL, in addition to cases pending in state courts in Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and elsewhere.
The litigation is currently the fourth-largest active mass tort in the United States. The defendants named include high-profile beauty companies that may have allegedly marketed hair straighteners to Black and Brown women while failing to warn about the risks.
No global settlement has been reached, and no plaintiff has received a settlement payout through the federal MDL just yet. The first trials are slated for 2027.
If you or a woman you love used chemical hair straighteners or relaxers and is now sick with uterine or ovarian cancer, you may be eligible to file a claim.
Her Case Matters is committed to supporting women whose lives were changed by chemical hair-related cancers. Visit the Her Case Matters website to learn more about your legal options, including how to get a free case review, when to file a claim if eligible, and more.
About Her Case Matters: Her Case Matters is a legal advocacy resource dedicated exclusively to women survivors of pharmaceutical harm, corporate negligence, sexual violence, and medical misconduct. The organization provides compassionate, expert guidance on civil legal options and connects women with experienced attorneys committed to accountability and full compensation.
CONTACT:
Her Case Matters
1330 Boylston St., Suite #400
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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wecanhelp@hercasematters.com
SOURCE: Her Case Matters
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/her-case-matters-on-hair-relaxer-lawsuits-what-you-need-to-know-in-2026-1223979
