Active case
L’Oréal is facing lawsuits for its Dark and Lovely hair relaxer. Studies have connected chemicals in hair relaxer products like Dark and Lovely to an increased risk of ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and endometrial cancer.
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Active case
L’Oréal is facing lawsuits for its Dark and Lovely hair relaxer. Studies have connected chemicals in hair relaxer products like Dark and Lovely to an increased risk of ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and endometrial cancer. People affected by these cancers are filing Dark and Lovely lawsuits alleging the product caused their disease. Plaintiffs claim that defendants engaged in problematic marketing which failed to disclose the serious health risks posed to consumers.
L’Oréal’s Dark and Lovely brand, typically stylized as Dark & Lovely, markets its hair products to Black and Brown women. Their product lines include chemical-based permanent hair relaxers. Dark & Lovely hair relaxer products are used to straighten and smooth naturally textured hair.
Black women in the United States have been using hair relaxers for generations. Historically, textured hair has been stigmatized as inconsistent with Euro-centric standards of beauty. Texturism — the idea that “good hair” is straighter hair — has deep-seated roots in American history.
Inventor Garrett Augustus Morgan created and marketed the first chemical-based system for permanent hair straightening in the early 1900s. Popular brand Dark & Lovely launched in the 1970s.
All individual lawsuits that make similar claims against Dark & Lovely are centralized into one multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of Illinois. The lawsuits in MDL 3060, In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices And Products Liability Litigation include allegations against L’Oréal and other hair straightening manufacturers. Separately, a class action lawsuit has also been filed.
The MDL and class action lawsuit claim the defendants:
MDL and class action lawsuits are both ways of grouping together similar claims. However, there are several differences between the two, including:
Thousands of hair relaxer lawsuits are proceeding in federal court in an MDL. The MDL consolidates the allegations against hair relaxer manufacturers, including L’Oréal. As of mid-2024, over 8,000 actions were pending in the hair relaxer MDL.
You may be able to file a L’Oréal hair relaxer lawsuit if you or a loved one used L’Oréal chemical hair relaxers and developed ovarian cancer, uterine cancer or endometrial cancer.
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with ovarian, uterine, or endometrial cancer after using a chemical hair relaxer product, you are not alone during this challenging time. For more information or to discuss a potential claim, reach out to hair relaxer MDL co-lead Fidelma Fitzpatrick or Tope Leyimu. Call 1.800.768.4026 or via email at any time.
For over 50 years, L’Oréal has advertised hair relaxer products to customers across the U.S. and around the world. The marketing failed to warn of the harmful impacts associated with their products, instead reinforcing notions of straight hair as a beauty standard and negligently marketing these products as safe.
U.S. cosmetics laws forbid the marketing of “adulterated” or “misbranded” products. Adulteration refers to products containing substances that could harm the user’s health. Misbranding means wrongly or dishonestly labeled products. It is also illegal to include an ingredient in a cosmetic product that makes the product harmful when people use it as intended.
The lawsuit alleges Dark & Lovely hair relaxers contain dangerous chemicals that may make them unsafe. Long-term use of hair relaxers with certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been linked to cancer.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interrupt the natural function of the endocrine system. The endocrine system regulates things like hormones release, reproductive health, growth and development. A change in hormone levels can lead to severe health issues including:
L’Oréal lawsuits allege that the company did not warn consumers of the increased risks of these conditions. It also didn’t make them aware of the lack of testing for safety risks like ovarian cancer and uterine cancer.
Hair straighteners can also cause burns and lesions in the scalp. These wounds allow the chemicals in hair relaxers to enter the body. It is alleged that certain chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers may increase the risk of cancer in women.
Plaintiffs allege frequent use of Dark & Lovely chemical hair relaxers cause cancer. Multiple studies show that women who use chemical hair relaxers have a higher risk of uterine cancer than those who do not.
Plaintiffs are filing lawsuits against L’Oréal, the maker of Dark & Lovely. The cases allege L’Oreal had a duty to assure its products would not cause users to suffer unreasonable and dangerous side effects, such as cancer.
Research has shown that frequent hair relaxer use may lead to uterine and endometrial cancer. One study concluded that women who used hair straightening products more than four times in the previous year were over twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to women who did not use the products. Approximately 60% of the women in the study who used straighteners or relaxers were Black.
Consumers of hair relaxer products who have suffered uterine cancer often require hysterectomies. Many plaintiffs can no longer have children – an extremely painful loss.
The Sister Study also found an association between frequent use of hair relaxers and ovarian cancer. Like uterine cancer, ovarian cancer is also believed to be hormonally driven. This means when hormone-disrupting compounds enter the body, they disturb a woman’s hormonal balance, which could lead to ovarian cancer.
Black and Brown women are more likely to encounter ovarian cancer risks linked with using those products. This is because they are the overwhelming majority of consumers of hair relaxer products.
Motley Rice leads litigation brought by thousands of women harmed by defective products. Our law firm has extensive experience litigating product liability lawsuits for women who:
Many people have been impacted by ovarian cancer, uterine cancer or endometrial cancer allegedly caused by using chemical hair relaxers. If you believe you have been similarly harmed, you should consider discussing your options with an attorney with experience in multidistrict litigation (MDL) and class actions.
L’Oréal Dark and Lovely background info
Overview of the Dark and Lovely lawsuit
L’Oréal’s product promotion of Dark and Lovely
Is Dark and Lovely hair relaxer safe?
Does Dark and Lovely cause cancer?
Our experience litigating defective products that harm women
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Chelsea Monroe represents victims of defective medical devices, as well as families and communities harmed by toxic exposure.
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