How To File a Hair Straightener Lawsuit
You may be qualified to collect compensation from a chemical hair straightener lawsuit if you have been diagnosed with uterine cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or other severe health issues resulting from frequent, chronic usage of hair straighteners or relaxers. Ethen Ostroff Law and its partner firms will work to recover your losses, including the costs of medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages. Our chemical hair straightener lawsuit attorneys will file an action on your behalf and represent you to ensure that the responsible party is held accountable.
Hair Straighteners
Hair is every woman’s crowning glory. Throughout history, hair has held a special place in women’s lives. It symbolizes femininity, beauty, status, style, health, and even personality. Women use their hair to express themselves in styles influenced by the fashions of the culture they live in. Now, the choice to straighten hair is personal, as is the desire to transform one’s appearance.
When it comes to hair styling, using hair relaxers is all about having the versatility to go from textured to straight and back to textured again. Several companies have made hair straightening tools to alter the hair’s structure to aid in this process. Some of the most recognizable products are hair irons and chemical hair straighteners. They are proliferated and widespread. While the number of women who chemically straighten their hair continues to fall, the majority of women with textured hair continue to do so periodically.
Chemical Hair Straighteners May Cause Uterine Cancer
The hair care products industry is a global, multi-billion dollar business that has been growing rapidly. The most popular hair care products available on the market include hair straighteners, shampoos, conditioners, gels, hair colorants, and serums. Women and businesses like beauty supply stores and hair salons are the primary buyers of these goods.
A study from the National Institutes of Health indicated that women who used chemical hair straightening products had a significantly greater chance of developing uterine cancer than women who did not. The study identified risk factors for cancer and other health conditions. The scientists conducting the study followed these women for almost eleven years, and during that time, they identified 378 uterine cancer cases.
While more research is needed to reproduce the results and pinpoint the specific chemicals associated with uterine cancer, the researchers have already found that the risk more than doubled amongst women who reported repeated use of chemical hair straightening products as opposed to those who did not. The findings of this study on chemical hair straightening products bring forth the first epidemiologic evidence of a connection between the use of chemical hair straightening products and uterine cancer.
Hair Straightening Product Brands Possibly Linked to Uterine Cancer
Most chemical hair straighteners contain potentially carcinogenic toxins that may contribute to uterine cancer risk. These chemicals include parabens, bisphenol A, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, and some heavy metals.
The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group is devoted to highlighting known chemicals in consumer products. To that end, it has created a database of over a thousand hair products marketed to people of color. Its Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database lists 15 hair relaxers, including Godrej Consumer Products’ Strength of Nature®, Revlon Inc.’s TCB Relaxer®, L’Oréal USA Products, Inc.’s Soft Sheen®, and SoftSheen Carson Inc.’s Dark & Lovely, as is best avoided.
Chemical Hair Straightener Lawsuit
Giants in the cosmetics industry like L’Oreal USA Products Inc., Strength of Nature Global, Soft Sheen/Carson Inc., Soft Sheen Carson Inc., Dabur International Ltd., Dabur USA Inc., and Namaste Laboratories, LLC, have been the target of numerous lawsuits. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits alleged that these companies failed to warn them as consumers that the use of their products increases a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer.
Due to a claimed failure to disclose that some of its over-the-counter hair straightener and/or relaxer products include chemicals known to be detrimental to human health, L’Oréal and SoftSheen Carson are facing a proposed class action in Michigan. The 46-page complaint claims that, amongst other products, Dark & Lovely and Optimum Smooth contain toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which are known to increase the risk of endometriosis, abnormalities in reproductive organs, various cancers, and other serious health issues.
The class action hair straightener lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs accuse L’Oreal and SoftSheen-Carson of selling “toxic hair straighteners and/or relaxers.” They assert women who used these products would need ongoing medical monitoring to check for cancer and other serious health risks.
According to the case, neither L’Oréal nor SoftSheen Carson made any prior disclosures about the inclusion of EDCs in their harmful creams, lotions, and/or oils used for hair straightening. The case seeks to represent a class of women who used Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxers and were exposed to dangerous substances.
Settlements have not yet been reached in these hair straightener cancer lawsuits. However, many more cases may surface, given the vast number of people who have likely been harmed by the dangerous hair straightening and relaxer products. Any company that produces hair straightening products could be sued.
Uterine Cancer Signs & Symptoms
You should speak to her healthcare provider as soon as possible if you notice any of the following uterine cancer symptoms:
- Pain or cramping in the lower abdomen or pelvic area below the belly
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods before menopause
- Unusual vaginal bleeding or spotting post menopause to any degree
- Clear of white vaginal discharge in postmenopausal women
Filing a Chemical Hair Straightener Lawsuit
Only some lawyers or law offices have the expertise and resources to file hair straightener lawsuits against many major cosmetic corporations simultaneously. These hair relaxer companies usually have in-house legal teams capable of shielding them from liability.
At Ethen Ostroff Law and partner firms, we take on the large corporations and get you compensation for the losses you sustained from using hair straightener products. If you wish to be in touch with one of our chemical hair straightener lawsuit attorneys to evaluate your claim.
What are you waiting for? Contact Ethen Ostroff Law now at 610-510-8883 ( by calling this number, you consent to receive SMS updates from Ethen Ostroff Law) or Submit Form to get free consultation.