Case research · Sources checked October 1, 2026
Chemical hair relaxer products liability MDL (uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer claims)
Plaintiffs allege that chemical hair relaxers contain phthalates (including di-2-ethylhexylphthalate) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and that regular use caused or increased the risk of uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer and other reproductive injuries. The master complaint asserts negligence, design defect, failure to warn, warranty and consumer-protection claims and alleges defendants knew or should have known of the risks.
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- Status
- Active
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division
- Docket
- MDL No. 3060; master docket 1:23-cv-00818
- Judge
- Hon. Mary M. Rowland (Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz)
- Started
- February 6, 2023
- Defendants
- L'Oréal USA, Inc., L'Oréal USA Products, Inc., SoftSheen-Carson LLC and 10 more
Where it stands
As of October 1, 2026
The MDL is pending before Judge Rowland with 12,381 actions pending (16,828 total) per the JPML's October 1, 2026 report — the largest of the four MDLs here. Under CMO 15 (Mar. 5, 2025) the parties selected 32 bellwether discovery cases, trial-case selections were to be completed by March 18, 2026, case-specific expert discovery closes October 16, 2026, and summary-judgment and non-general-causation Daubert motions are due November 16, 2026; no federal trial date appears in the orders opened. CMO 24 (Aug. 27, 2026) sets a separate discovery schedule against 'second wave' defendants running to July 15, 2027.[7]
The complaint
What is alleged, and what is not decided
Plaintiffs allege that chemical hair relaxers contain phthalates (including di-2-ethylhexylphthalate) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and that regular use caused or increased the risk of uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer and other reproductive injuries. The master complaint asserts negligence, design defect, failure to warn, warranty and consumer-protection claims and alleges defendants knew or should have known of the risks. On November 13, 2023 the court allowed the core negligence, design-defect, failure-to-warn and warranty claims to proceed while dismissing fraud-based claims for insufficient pleading. These remain allegations.
On the record
What the regulators and the court have said
- 01
FDA has a pending rulemaking, RIN 0910-AI83, 'Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products,' at the Proposed Rule Stage. The Spring 2025 Unified Agenda projected a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for December 2025; the most recent agenda entry (pubId 202510) moves the projected NPRM to November 2026 and lists no Federal Register citation.[8]
- 02
As of October 12, 2026, a Federal Register search (via the federal-register API) for FDA proposed or final rules since January 1, 2023 matching 'formaldehyde hair smoothing OR hair straightening' returned 0 documents — i.e., the proposed rule has not been published.[11]
- 03
FDA's consumer page 'Hair Smoothing Products That Release Formaldehyde When Heated' (content current Oct. 15, 2024) notes FDA issued warning letters to two marketers of formaldehyde-releasing smoothing products and that cosmetics are not FDA-approved; it does not address phthalates or the relaxer litigation.[10]
Timeline
How the case has moved
JPML centralizes hair relaxer cases (53 involved actions in 19 districts at the time) in N.D. Ill. before Judge Mary M. Rowland.[1]
CMO 7 adopts the Short Form Complaint (incorporating the Master Long Form Complaint) listing defendants, products and alleged injuries including uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer.[2]
Court grants in part and denies in part defendants' motion to dismiss the master complaint: negligence, design defect, failure to warn, warranty, unjust enrichment and wrongful-death claims survive; fraud-based claims dismissed under Rule 9(b); Dabur International dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction.[3]
Court orders defendants to produce foreign regulatory materials, labels and scientific studies for relaxers sold outside the U.S.; L'Oréal USA must produce documents held by L'Oréal S.A.[4]
CMO 15 sets the bellwether process: 32 discovery cases, 10 trial cases to be selected by March 18, 2026, general-causation Daubert motions due April 1, 2026, case-specific expert discovery closing October 16, 2026, summary judgment/Daubert motions due November 16, 2026.[5]
CMO 24 (Magistrate Judge Jantz) sets discovery schedule against second-wave defendants: written discovery closes March 1, 2027; oral fact discovery closes July 15, 2027.[6]
JPML pending-MDL report lists MDL 3060 with 12,381 actions pending.[7]
If this involves you
The records that matter, and who has them.
Whatever you decide to do next, you will be asked for these. They are yours by law, and most providers have up to 30 days to send them once they have your signed request.
Pathology report confirming diagnosis (uterine/endometrial or ovarian cancer) and surgical pathology from hysterectomy or oophorectomy
CMO 15 limits which cases can serve as bellwethers to those with a primary injury of uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer; pathology is the diagnostic record
Held by: Hospital pathology department; treating gynecologic oncologist
Gynecology and gynecologic-oncology records, including operative reports, imaging (ultrasound, CT, MRI) and treatment records (chemotherapy, radiation)
Documents diagnosis date, stage, treatment and prior gynecologic history the Plaintiff Fact Sheet asks about (fibroids, endometriosis, hormone therapy)
Held by: Treating OB/GYN practice; cancer center; hospital
Primary-care records and family cancer history
The court-approved Plaintiff Fact Sheet requests medical conditions, medications, hormone/fertility treatment, genetic testing and family history for the ten years before diagnosis
Held by: Primary-care physician; genetics clinic
Proof of product use: salon records/receipts, retailer purchase or loyalty histories, photographs, product packaging
The Fact Sheet asks for products used, dates, frequency, salon visits and retailers; these are not medical records but are requested alongside them
Held by: Patient; salons; retailers
Death certificate and autopsy report (wrongful-death claims)
Required for survival/wrongful-death counts in the master complaint
Held by: State vital records office; medical examiner
We send the request, follow up with the provider, and deliver the records to you. We don't take case details here and we never share your records with a law firm unless you tell us to.
Questions people ask
Straight answers, with sources
Is the hair relaxer cancer lawsuit real?
Yes. The JPML created MDL No. 3060 on February 6, 2023 and assigned it to Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois. As of the JPML's October 1, 2026 report, 12,381 actions were pending in the MDL.[1]
What do plaintiffs allege?
Plaintiffs allege that chemical hair relaxers contain phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals and that their use caused or increased the risk of uterine, ovarian or breast cancer, endometriosis and fibroids, and that manufacturers failed to test, warn or monitor adequately. Defendants deny the allegations.[1]
Has the court ruled on anything yet?
On November 13, 2023 Judge Rowland allowed the negligence, design-defect, failure-to-warn, warranty and related claims to proceed, dismissed fraud-based claims for insufficient pleading, and dismissed Dabur International for lack of personal jurisdiction. Bellwether selection and expert discovery are proceeding under CMO 15, with summary-judgment and Daubert motions due November 16, 2026.[3]
Did FDA ban formaldehyde in hair straighteners?
Not as of October 12, 2026. FDA lists a proposed rule (RIN 0910-AI83) to prohibit formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair smoothing/straightening products; the Unified Agenda most recently projected a proposed rule for November 2026, and no proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register. Note the lawsuits focus mainly on phthalates and other chemicals, not only formaldehyde.[8]
Which cancers are the bellwether cases about?
CMO 15 limits which cases can serve as bellwethers to those whose primary injury is uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer. The diagnostic pathology report and treating gynecologic-oncology records are the core medical records for those diagnoses.[5]
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from
Primary sources only: court orders, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, federal regulators and state attorneys general. Each entry shows the day we opened it. This is reference material, not legal or medical advice.
- [1]MDL No. 3060 Transfer Order (Feb. 6, 2023)
JPML · jpml.uscourts.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Centralizes hair relaxer actions in N.D. Ill. before Judge Rowland; lists defendants and summarizes allegations.
- [2]Case Management Order No. 7 (ECF 175)
U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill. · ilnd.uscourts.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Adopts the Short Form Complaint on Aug. 3, 2023 listing defendants, products and injuries.
- [3]Memorandum Opinion and Order, Nov. 13, 2023 (motion to dismiss)
U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill. via GovInfo · govinfo.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Grants in part/denies in part defendants' motion to dismiss the master long-form complaint.
- [4]Memorandum Opinion and Order, Dec. 27, 2023 (motion to compel foreign materials)
U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill. via GovInfo · govinfo.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Orders production of foreign regulatory materials and L'Oréal S.A. documents.
- [5]Case Management Order No. 15 (ECF 1120) – Bellwether Selection Schedule and Procedure
U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill. (CourtListener RECAP mirror) · storage.courtlistener.com · opened October 12, 2026
Mar. 5, 2025 order setting the bellwether discovery/trial-selection schedule through Nov. 16, 2026.
- [6]Case Management Order No. 24 (ECF 2014) – Second Wave Defendant Discovery Schedule
U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill. (CourtListener RECAP mirror) · storage.courtlistener.com · opened October 12, 2026
Aug. 27, 2026 order by Magistrate Judge Jantz setting discovery against second-wave defendants through July 15, 2027.
- [7]Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending (Report Date 10/1/2026)
JPML · jpml.uscourts.gov · opened October 12, 2026
MDL 3060 pending in N.D. Ill. (Rowland) with 12,381 actions pending, 16,828 total.
- [8]RIN 0910-AI83 – Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products (Unified Agenda, pubId 202510)
OMB/OIRA reginfo.gov · reginfo.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Proposed Rule Stage; NPRM projected 11/2026; no FR citation.
- [9]RIN 0910-AI83 (Unified Agenda, Spring 2025, pubId 202504)
OMB/OIRA reginfo.gov · reginfo.gov · opened October 12, 2026
Earlier entry projecting the NPRM for 12/2025; abstract describes a ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals such as methylene glycol in heat-applied hair smoothing products.
- [10]Hair Smoothing Products That Release Formaldehyde When Heated
FDA · fda.gov · opened October 12, 2026
FDA consumer page (content current 10/15/2024) on formaldehyde-releasing smoothing products and FDA warning letters.
- [11]Federal Register search: FDA proposed/final rules matching 'formaldehyde hair smoothing OR hair straightening' since 2023-01-01
Federal Register (federalregister.gov API) · federalregister.gov · opened October 12, 2026
0 matching documents — no proposed rule published as of the search date.