Speak with an AR Injury Attorney.
If you have used and suffered harm due to chemical hair relaxers, our attorneys are here to help. Taylor King Law is actively filing lawsuits against manufacturers of chemical hair relaxers on behalf of women in Arkansas & Texas.
Trust the legal team at Taylor King Law to be on your side – by your side.
Women using chemical hair straightening products are at an increased risk for uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. A study conducted by the National Institute of Health found that the use of a hair relaxer more than 4 times a year was connected with an increased risk of cancer.
Hair relaxer lawsuits allege that companies were aware of the dangerous chemicals but continued to market and sell their products anyway.
Taylor King Law has been representing our friends and neighbors for more than 30 years.
Arkansas Attorneys for Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Our team has over 275 years of combined legal experience. Nationally recognized we are committed to fighting the biggest legal battles and are prepared to hold manufacturers.
We’ve been representing Arkansans for over 30 years. One of Arkansas’ most locally awarded firms, you can trust our team to be on your side every step of the way.
Contact Taylor King for a free consultation. We’ll listen to your story and answer your questions at no cost. We promise to be by your side.
Am I Eligible to File a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
Do I Have A Case?
REACH OUT VIA FORM
Filing Chemical Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
According to a study by the National Institute of Health, women who used chemical hair straightening products were at higher risk for uterine cancer. The study, released in October of 2022, sought to identify risk factors associated with breast cancer and other health conditions.
Manufacturers were aware of the dangerous chemicals but continued to market and sell their products. To learn more about filing a lawsuit, call Taylor King Law at 870.246.0505. An initial consultation is both free and confidential.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits are being actively filed on behalf of women who developed endocrine-related cancer after having used chemical hair relaxers. If you’ve been affected and would like to speak with a hair relaxer lawyer in Arkansas, contact Taylor King for a free consultation.
The attorneys at Taylor King Law are committed to being on your side throughout the legal process. We’ll answer your questions, explain your options, and help you determine whether filing a hair relaxer lawsuit is right for you.
Are Chemical Hair Straighteners Dangerous?
Yes. Women who report frequent use of hair relaxer products are nearly three times as likely to develop uterine cancer. The lead author of the NIH study reported, “We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70; but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%.”
The hair relaxer products were found to contain harmful chemicals including phthalates, formaldehyde, and parabens.
What Dangerous Chemicals are Found in Hair Relaxers?
Hair relaxers contain what are known as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors include parabens, phthalates, and metals. These products often cause burns and lesions to the scalp, which further facilitates the entry of dangerous chemicals into the body.
Straighteners have also been found to release formaldehyde which is a carcinogenic gas. Formaldehyde is a toxic preservative that was only banned from use in hair relaxers by the F.D.A. in October of 2023.
In her New York Times article titled “The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers,” author Linda Villarosa notes some hair relaxers targeted toward children contained high levels of at least five chemicals banned in Europe. In another study, hormone-disrupting chemicals were found in numerous hair-relaxing creams but were not listed as ingredients.
DEHP in Hair Relaxers
The phthalate, Di(2-ethylhexyl), otherwise known as DEHP, was found in the products and is a manufactured chemical added to plastics to make them more flexible. DEHP is a known carcinogen and is linked to various cancers. Additionally, DEHP has been linked to infertility, developmental abnormalities, kidney complications, and endometriosis.
Our attorneys are committed to holding manufacturers accountable. Call us today and allow our team to fight for you.
Which Hair Relaxer Products Are Linked to Cancer?
Named defendants thus far include the US subsidiary of L’Oréal SA and subsidiaries of India-based companies Godrej SON Holdings Inc and Dabur International Ltd.
Hair straightening brands and products that may be linked include but are not limited to:
- Dark & Lovely
- L’Oreal
- Ultra Sheet
- ORS Olive Oil
- Revlon
- Soft & Beautiful Botanicals by L’Oreal
- Just for Me by Shoft Sheen
- Easy Waves
- Strength of Nature
- Next Generation PRO 5
- Positively Smooth Relaxer System by African Pride
- Motions
- Ultra Glaze
- Cantu Shea Butter Relaxer *(please see below for details regarding this product)
If you’re unsure whether the product you used is involved with hair relaxer litigation, we recommend contacting an attorney near you who can best answer your questions.
Discriminatory Marketing of Hair Relaxers
Chemical hair relaxers have been on the market since the 1970s. And as early as the 1970s companies have marketed straight hair as the standard of beauty.
Advertising went further than beauty standards, suggesting that straight hair would help women of color gain employment, receive promotions, and find acceptance.
In the 1990s, manufacturers began aiming their hair straightening products toward young black women. Researchers note that because black women use hair relaxers more frequently and were more likely to use the products at a younger age, the results of the study may be more relevant to them.
Misleading advertising, as noted by the Federal Trade Commission, disproportionately affects people of color.
CROWN Act in Arkansas
The Arkansas CROWN Act was signed into law on April 10, 2023. The CROWN Act prohibits race-based hair discrimination. More specifically it prohibits discrimination in public schools and universities in Arkansas. The CROWN Act encourages students to freely wear their hair in a way that matches their identity.
Who Can File a Chemical Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
Find Out If You’re Eligible.
A number of factors influence who is eligible to file a hair relaxer lawsuit.
If you used chemical hair straightening products or hair relaxers and were later diagnosed with ovarian, uterine or endometrial cancer, in addition to uterine fibroids, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit.
Qualifying diagnoses include but are not limited to:
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Fibroids
- Endometrial Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
Additional factors to consider include the brand of product, how long you continuously used hair relaxers, as well as when you were diagnosed.
How to File a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit
More than 7000 product liability and consumer protection lawsuits have been filed by numerous plaintiff’s attorneys. Litigation claims that the products named caused uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancer.
Subsequently, a motion was filed to consolidate product liability lawsuits against manufacturers into an MDL class action. An MDL, Multidistrict Litigation, combines related cases into a single court to be seen before one judge.
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) approved MDL consolidation for all chemical hair relaxer lawsuits.
MDL Class Action Against Hair Relaxer Companies
In a Multidistrict Litigation class action, case discoveries and pretrial proceedings are shared but each case remains separate. The advantage of an MDL is a more streamlined process and a consistent ruling. Litigation costs are lower for plaintiffs in an MDL, and you can expect a fairer outcome.
The hair relaxer MDL class action lawsuit has been assigned to the Chicago federal court.
Why File a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
While many personal injury claims can be resolved outside of the courtroom, others demand that the justice system be enacted. Let’s discuss the reasons why filing a hair relaxer lawsuit may be your best course of action:
Compensation
If you used chemical hair relaxers and were later diagnosed with cancer, you deserve compensation for your injuries, medical costs, time lost, wages, pain and suffering, and more.
A lawsuit may be your only course of recompense.
Safety
Consumer protection lawsuits bring attention to negligence. Lawsuits safeguard against dangerous products for future users.
Positive change can come about by holding corporations accountable. In 2023, the FDA announced that it intended to ban formaldehyde from chemical hair relaxers in response to the lawsuits filed.
Awareness
Consumer protection lawsuits bring attention to negligence. They bring awareness to the masses when manufacturers are held accountable and face prosecution. Hair relaxer lawsuits, in particular, bring awareness to a much larger problem that people of color face: fraudulent practices employed by massive companies have unethically and disproportionately affected people of color for decades.
Justice
Without consumer protection lawsuits, manufacturers and companies will continue their harmful and negligent practices.
Filing a lawsuit in many cases is the only way to not only bring attention to the problem, but to also hold companies accountable.
How to Determine If You’re Eligible to File a Lawsuit
We’ve been representing personal injury victims for over 30 years. We have the experience to ensure you’re fairly represented and receive the justice that you deserve.
Our team will ask questions and help you determine whether or not to pursue litigation.
Questions we’ll discuss with you include:
- What brand of chemical hair relaxer did you use?
- How long did you use a chemical hair relaxer?
- What is your diagnosis?
- When were you diagnosed?
If you’d like to determine whether you’re eligible to file a hair relaxer lawsuit, call us today.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits in the News
Reuter’s “Thousands of Black Women Claim Hair Relaxers Gave Them Cancer”
A new article released by Reuters on November 4, 2023, addresses lawsuits alleging the link between hair relaxers and cancer. The article highlights several individual stories of black women who used hair relaxers and were later diagnosed with cancer. It further explains the lawsuit’s allegations as well as the potential pitfalls the lawsuit could face.
In the article by Reuters, the study conducted by the National Institutes for Health is summarized:
“The NIH study of more than 33,000 women found that those who reported using hair straightening products more than four times in the previous year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who did not. A total of 378 women in the study developed uterine cancer. Black women used the products more frequently than others, the study found.”
A spokesperson for Revlon responded to the lawsuit in the article, saying:
“We do not believe the science supports a link between chemical hair straighteners or relaxers and cancer.”
Challenges to the hair relaxer’s lawsuit success are outlined, including the need for women to prove they used the hair relaxer products. The most important challenge is for your attorney to prove that the company was aware of the danger and negligently continued marketing and selling the product.
To read the article in full, click HERE.
The NYT’s “The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers”
The New York Times released an article titled “The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers” on June 13, 2024. In the article, author Linda Villarosa tackles what is not only a growing but continuing problem.
Nearly 90% of Black women have used chemical hair relaxers to straighten their hair. While studies and lawsuits have begun to illuminate the dangerous health effects of chemical hair relaxers, the products continue to be sold and widely circulated. These products “fuel a continuing – but preventable – public health crisis.”
To read the full article, click HERE.
Chemical Hair Relaxer Attorneys
Call the legal team at Taylor King Law today at 870.246.0505 or toll-free at 1.800.305.0529.
A consultation with an attorney is both FREE and CONFIDENTIAL.
Our commitment is to help you understand your rights and to ensure you’re treated fairly. And because our law firm works on a contingency basis, you won’t owe us anything until we win your case. For a free case evaluation, fill out the form below.
Local Lawyers On Your Side in AR & TX
We’re prepared to hold manufacturers accountable for their negligence.
Nationally recognized and locally awarded, our law firm has the experience and expertise to represent you and your loved ones. Contact us today at 870.246.0505.
You can also visit any of our seven locations in Arkansas and Texas to meet with an attorney face-to-face. And if you can’t come to us, then we’ll come to you; it’s our promise to be on your side – by your side.
*The Cantu Hair Relaxer Product was discontinued prior to 2015. In 2015, Parfums De Coeur, LTD (PDC) acquired Cantu brand products. Therefore, Cantu Hair Relaxer Products were discontinued prior to the purchase of assets by PDC and PDC was voluntarily dismissed as a defendant from the product liability lawsuits. PDC never marketed or sold a hair relaxer product. Advanced Beauty Inc., marketed, distributed, and sold Cantu Hair Relaxer Products prior to it being discontinued.