This alarming research has prompted a wave of lawsuits filed by women who frequently used chemical hair straighteners or hair relaxers and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and other adverse health outcomes. Last month, 32-year-old Jennifer Mitchell became one of the first women to sue L’Oreal and other cosmetic companies for a uterine cancer diagnosis she received in 2018. Mitchell underwent a full hysterectomy, removing her uterus and cervix, to prevent the cancer from spreading to the rest of her body. In another hair straightener lawsuit filed against L’Oreal and other beauty brands in federal court, 55-year-old Rhonda Terrell says she used chemical hair straighteners from the age of eight into her late 30s or early 40s. In 2019, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer that has since spread to her liver and abdomen. She underwent chemotherapy and a radical hysterectomy (the removal of the uterus, ovaries, and cervix) to treat the cancer that she says she could have avoided, had L’Oreal and other companies provided proper warnings about the potential risk of side effects associated with their products. 

In the wake of the NIH study’s release in October 2022, manufacturers of popular hair relaxers and chemical hair-straightening products have been slammed for aggressively marketing their potentially dangerous products to women with naturally curly, textured, or frizzy hair. They have been accused of perpetuating the harmful myth that women of color should conform to certain beauty standards, while also possibly putting these women at risk for serious health problems. After all, approximately 60% of the women who reported using chemical hair straighteners in the NIH study self-identified as Black, and many of the lawsuits these manufacturers now face are being brought by Black women who say they were never warned that these products could put them at risk for cancer.

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While the NIH study did not discuss specific chemical hair-straightener brands or ingredients, the researchers identified several toxic chemicals found in chemical hair straighteners – parabens, metals, bisphenol A, and formaldehyde – that they warned could possibly contribute to an increased cancer risk when absorbed through the scalp. Lead author Alexandra White notes that while the study does not definitively prove that hair-straightening products cause cancer, it is “the first [study] to show a possible link between frequent use of hair straightening products and uterine cancer.” 

Any woman of any race who has been diagnosed with cancer after frequent use of a chemical relaxer or hair straightener like Optimum, Dark & Lovely, or Ultra Precise may have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer. Contact us as soon as possible to explore your possible compensation options.