Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Surge Past 11,000 Cases as Daubert Deadline Approaches

The hair relaxer mass tort added 247 new cases in a single month. As of February 2026, 11,195 lawsuits are pending in MDL-3060 before Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois, making it the fifth-largest active MDL in the federal system. The litigation's next critical gate: Daubert expert challenge motions are due April 1, 2026, following a Science Day hearing held January 8. Bellwether trials are expected in 2027.

The cases carry a disproportionate impact on Black women. Approximately 60% of participants who reported using chemical straighteners in the NIH's landmark study were Black women — a reflection of decades-long marketing of relaxer products to Black communities. The named defendants, including L'Oréal, Revlon, and Softsheen-Carson, face allegations that their products contained chemicals linked to uterine and endometrial cancers without adequate warnings.

The Scientific Foundation

Two large-scale epidemiological studies form the backbone of plaintiffs' causation arguments.

The NIH's Sister Study, published in October 2022, tracked 33,497 women over 11 years. Researchers found that women who used chemical hair straighteners more than four times per year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to non-users. The baseline risk of uterine cancer by age 70 went from 1.64% for non-users to 4.05% for frequent users — a 2.4x increase.

The Boston University Black Women's Health Study, published in 2023, was the first large-scale study focused specifically on Black women and hair relaxer use. It found that postmenopausal Black women who used relaxers two or more times per year had a 50%+ increased risk of uterine cancer. The study addressed a critical gap: the NIH research drew from a broader demographic, while the BU study isolated the population most exposed to these products.

The chemicals at issue include parabens, bisphenol A, metals, and formaldehyde — endocrine-disrupting compounds found in chemical straightener formulations. These substances are absorbed through the scalp during application, a particularly efficient route because of the heat involved in the straightening process.

Where the Litigation Stands

MDL-3060 has been building since 2023. The current procedural posture reflects a litigation entering the expert evidence phase — the stage that will determine whether cases reach juries.

32 cases have been selected for bellwether discovery. Fact discovery for those cases was due February 16, 2026, with each side limited to four fact depositions per case. The compressed deposition schedule signals the court's intent to keep the litigation moving toward trial.

The Science Day hearing on January 8, 2026 gave both sides the opportunity to present their scientific positions to Judge Rowland before formal Daubert briefing. These presentations — covering epidemiology, toxicology, and general causation — frame the arguments that will appear in the April 1 motions.

The Daubert ruling will be decisive. If the court finds plaintiffs' expert testimony on general causation admissible, the path to bellwether trials in 2027 stays open. If key experts are excluded, the litigation faces the same kind of setback that stalled the NEC formula MDL's first wave.

The Unique Records Challenge

Hair relaxer cases present an evidence problem that distinguishes them from most mass torts. Cancer diagnosis and treatment records are essential — but proving product usage history is where cases succeed or fail.

No medical record captures which brand of hair relaxer a plaintiff used, how often, or for how many years. That information doesn't live in hospital charts or physician notes. It lives in purchase receipts, salon appointment records, personal testimony, and sometimes social media or photographic evidence. Unlike a pharmaceutical MDL where a prescription record proves exposure, chemical hair straightener use is an over-the-counter consumer behavior with no centralized documentation.

The medical records side is more straightforward but still complex. Firms need uterine or endometrial cancer diagnosis records, pathology reports, surgical records, oncology treatment histories, and hormone therapy documentation. Many plaintiffs have care histories spanning multiple providers — OB-GYNs, oncologists, surgeons, and primary care physicians across different health systems.

The combination creates a two-track retrieval problem: medical records that prove the injury, and non-medical evidence that proves the exposure. Firms that build parallel workflows for both tracks — retrieving cancer treatment records from healthcare providers while simultaneously gathering product usage documentation from clients — will be best positioned when bellwether results establish settlement values.

What Firms Should Prepare For

The Bottom Line

The hair relaxer MDL is one of the fastest-growing mass torts in the federal system, adding cases at a pace that puts it alongside the largest litigations of the decade. The science is substantial — two major studies, a proposed FDA ban, and a clear mechanism of harm. The procedural calendar is accelerating.

What happens on April 1 will shape everything that follows. Daubert rulings will either clear the path to 2027 trials or force a strategic reset. For firms with hair relaxer cases on their dockets, the preparation window between now and that ruling is the time to close record gaps, strengthen client usage histories, and ensure every case file can survive the scrutiny that bellwether selection demands.

Sources: MDL Update (February 2026 statistics), MDL Update (MDL-3060), AboutLawsuits (hearings), NIH (Sister Study), Boston University (Black Women's Health Study), Reuters (L'Oréal litigation). Case data current as of February 2026.