African Pride Hair Relaxer Lawsuit – Status & Eligibility

African Pride relaxers are on the court’s product checklist in federal lawsuits over alleged links between chemical hair relaxers and cancer. Plaintiffs allege the chemicals caused or raised the risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancer, fibroids and endometriosis. The cases are grouped as MDL No. 3060 in federal court in Illinois before Judge Mary M. Rowland. The checklist lists African Pride under both Revlon and Strength of Nature. As of October 2026, no settlement or verdict has been announced. These are allegations. No court has decided that any of these products caused an injury.

Latest African Pride Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Updates

October 1, 2026: Court Holds Status Hearing

Judge Mary M. Rowland held a status hearing in MDL No. 3060 in the Northern District of Illinois (Dkt. 2053) [1]. The parties reported resolving issues on duplicate filings, short-form-complaint delinquencies and CMO 10-A compliance. Defendants withdrew, without prejudice, their motion to strike an expert report by Dr. Schwingl.

September 24, 2026: First Bellwether Trial Set for September 7, 2027

Judge Rowland set the first bellwether trial for September 7, 2027 (Dkt. 2041). The court also set monthly case management conferences from January 28, 2027 through August 26, 2027.

September 11, 2026: Arizona Sues L’Oreal over Alleged Cancer Risks

Reuters reported that Arizona sued L’Oreal SA and its U.S. subsidiary in state court. Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes alleges the company hid evidence that its relaxers could cause cancer [2]. Arizona is the first state to sue over alleged cancer risks linked to hair relaxers. L’Oreal USA says it is confident in the safety of its products.

August 27, 2026: Court Adopts Agreed Bellwether Dates

The court adopted agreed bellwether dates after the August 20, 2026 status hearing (Dkt. 2016). A joint proposal to cut the bellwether cases from ten to five is due October 21, 2026. Case-specific expert discovery for the remaining five cases closes December 21, 2026. Summary judgment motions are due January 11, 2027.

May 5, 2026: Parties File Cross Motions on Causation Experts

The parties filed cross motions under Federal Rule of Evidence 702 on general causation experts. The Strength of Nature defendants, for all defendants, moved to exclude plaintiffs’ experts (Dkt. 1828). Plaintiffs moved to exclude some opinions of certain defense experts (Dkt. 1832). The court had not ruled on either motion as of October 2, 2026.

April 2, 2026: Judge Rowland Selects 10-Case Bellwether Pool

Judge Rowland selected 10 cases as the bellwether trial pool (Dkt. 1781). The court amended the pool on April 22, 2026 to swap one plaintiff (Dkt. 1809).

January 8, 2026: Court Holds Science Day

Judge Rowland held a Science Day in the MDL (Dkt. 1664). The Plaintiff Steering Committee and defendants presented experts on the science and medicine in the case.

November 13, 2023: Court Rules on Motion to Dismiss

Judge Rowland granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ joint motion to dismiss in a Memorandum Opinion and Order (Dkt. 291) [3]. Fraud-based and negligent misrepresentation counts were dismissed. Negligence, strict liability design defect, failure to warn and warranty claims moved forward. The Dabur defendants and Dermoviva were dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction.

August 3, 2023: Court Adopts Short Form Complaint

Case Management Order No. 7 adopted the Short Form Complaint (Dkt. 175) [4]. The form has a product checklist and a defendant table. The Master Long Form Complaint, filed May 15, 2023, pleads fifteen counts. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages and equitable relief.

February 6, 2023: JPML Centralizes Cases as MDL No. 3060

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation grouped the hair relaxer cases under Judge Rowland in the N.D. Ill. (Doc. 134) [5]. The order counted 53 involved actions in nineteen districts. The Panel recites plaintiffs’ allegations that defendants’ hair relaxer products contain phthalates or other endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It does not rule on them.

January 23, 2023: Proposed B.C. Class Action Names Hair Relaxer Makers

CBC News reported a proposed class action in the B.C. Supreme Court against L’Oreal, Strength of Nature and Dabur USA, filed earlier that month [6]. The notice of claim alleges the products “are dangerous, defective and not fit for purpose.” The claims are unproven and not certified as a class action. The report does not name African Pride.

October 21, 2022: Jenny Mitchell Sues Five Manufacturers

Jenny Mitchell sued five hair relaxer makers, including L’Oreal USA, in federal court in Illinois. She alleges chemical straighteners caused her uterine cancer. ABC News reported the suit came one week after a study funded by NIH [7]. Mitchell said she began using chemical hair straighteners in 2000 and was diagnosed with uterine cancer nearly two decades later.

October 17, 2022: NIH-Led Study Reports Uterine Cancer Association

Researchers led by NIH published a Sister Study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute [8]. NIH announced the findings the same day. Women who frequently used chemical hair straighteners had more than twice the rate of uterine cancer (hazard ratio 2.55). Frequent use meant more than 4 times in the past 12 months. It shows an association, not proof of cause.

December 4, 2019: NIEHS Study Reports Breast Cancer Association

NIEHS scientists published a Sister Study of hair dye, straightener use and breast cancer in the International Journal of Cancer [9]. A study co-author cautioned that the results need to be replicated in other studies [10]. Women who used chemical hair straighteners at least every five to eight weeks were about 30% more likely to develop breast cancer, the NIEHS release says.

What Is a Chemical Hair Relaxer?

According to the FDA, hair relaxers are used to make hair straight. FDA says hair dye and hair relaxers can hurt your skin, hair and eyes if you are not careful [11]. FDA does not approve cosmetics but does monitor the safety of hair dyes and relaxers. Companies that market them are responsible for their safety and labeling.

Who May Be Affected?

Women who used African Pride relaxers or texturizers, including Dream Kids products, and were later diagnosed with uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer match the injuries on the court’s Short Form Complaint. The form has a box for each of those three diagnoses and a space for other injuries. It also lists other makers, covered on the hair relaxer lawsuit page. The form’s product checklist lists these African Pride items, which a plaintiff may select from:

• Under the Revlon, Inc. group: No Lye Relaxer Kit, No Base Relaxer, Multi Length Texturizer Kit and Dream Kids No Lye Relaxer Kit.
• Under Strength of Nature, LLC: Olive Miracle Deep Conditioning relaxers and texturizers, Shea Miracle Texture Softening Elongating System and Dream Kids Olive Miracle relaxers.

The master complaint also pleads wrongful death, survival and loss of consortium claims. Only an individual legal review can say whether a claim fits.

Reported Injuries or Damages

An NIH news release gives risk estimates by age 70. It puts uterine cancer at 1.64% for women who never used straighteners and 4.05% for frequent users [12]. The researchers did not collect brand data. White et al. studied 40,559 women, and 241 of them had ovarian cancer. Frequent use of straighteners was associated with a higher risk (hazard ratio 2.19), but ever use was not [13]. The International Journal of Cancer study found a hazard ratio of 1.18 for breast cancer with any personal straightener use (95% CI 0.99 to 1.41). The Black Women’s Health Study found an incidence rate ratio of 1.17 for fibroids among relaxer users [14]. The authors say this raises the hypothesis that relaxers increase fibroid risk. Endometriosis appears in the litigation as an alleged injury only, and the court’s Short Form Complaint has no separate endometriosis box. Fibroid claims have their own uterine fibroids lawsuit page.

Evidence to Preserve

Records that may help show which products were used, when they were used and what followed include:

• Product packaging, boxes and lot or batch codes of the African Pride relaxer or texturizer you used.
• Receipts, order confirmations or salon records that show when you bought the product and had it applied.
• Photographs of the products you used and of any scalp burns or hair loss that followed.
• Medical records, diagnoses, pathology reports and treatment bills tied to your diagnosis or injury.
• Notes on the years you used the products and how often you used them each year.
• Any messages with the maker or the salon about the products you used.

Filing Deadlines

Deadlines to file a claim exist and come from state law. They depend on where you live and when the exposure, illness or injury and the diagnosis happened. A missed deadline can end even a strong claim. So anyone considering a hair relaxer claim should check with a lawyer promptly.

Potential Compensation

Damages that may be sought include medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and the cost of the products. The master complaint in the MDL also asks for punitive damages, restitution and medical monitoring. Compensation amounts vary by case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Potential compensation in the MDL would also depend on how the court rules on the pleaded claims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is African Pride Hair Relaxer Part of the Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

African Pride hair relaxer is listed on the court’s product checklist in the hair relaxer lawsuit, and being listed is not a court finding. Strength of Nature describes African Pride as one of its brands and says Godrej Consumer Products acquired Strength of Nature in 2016.

Does African Pride Relaxer Cause Cancer?

Whether African Pride relaxer causes cancer is disputed. L’Oreal USA says the 2022 NIH study made no finding of a causal connection. Reuters reports that Revlon has also denied a connection between cancer and the products.

What Does the Research Say About Hair Relaxers and Cancer?

Research on hair relaxers and cancer reports associations, not proof of cause. The NIH-led study says more research is warranted. The ovarian cancer authors say frequent use “may be associated” with the disease.

How Many Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Are Pending?

The count of pending hair relaxer lawsuits depends on the source. The JPML report dated September 1, 2026 lists 12,129 pending actions and 16,561 total actions historically. Reuters describes more than 12,000 similar lawsuits consolidated in a Chicago federal court.

Has a Hair Relaxer Settlement Been Reached?

As of October 2026, no hair relaxer settlement has been reached. Reuters reports that the litigation continues to move forward and trials could begin next year. Plaintiffs asked the court to certify medical-monitoring classes (Dkt. 1769), and the court had not ruled on that request as of October 2, 2026.

What If I Used More than One Brand of Hair Relaxer?

If you used more than one brand of hair relaxer, the court’s Short Form Complaint lets a plaintiff check more than one defendant. Its list also includes SoftSheen-Carson LLC, Luster Products, Inc. and Avlon Industries.

Are Black Women at Higher Risk from Hair Relaxers?

Black women’s risk from hair relaxers appears in NIH and NIEHS studies. About 60% of straightener users in the NIH uterine cancer study were Black women. NIEHS found permanent hair dye use associated with 45% higher breast cancer risk in Black women and 7% in white women.

References

1. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66801859/in-re-hair-relaxer-marketing-sales-practices-and-products-liability/?order_by=desc
2. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/09/14/884862.htm
3. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_23-cv-00818/pdf/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_23-cv-00818-0.pdf
4. https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/_assets/_documents/_forms/_cmecf/MDL3060/CMO%20No.%207.pdf
5. https://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/MDL-3060-Transfer_Order-1-23.pdf
6. https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.6721662
7. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/woman-sues-companies-alleging-chemical-hair-straightening-products/story?id=92007557
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9949582/
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31797377/
10. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/newsreleases/detail/881925
11. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/free-publications-women/hair-dye-and-hair-relaxers
12. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/hair-straightening-chemicals-associated-higher-uterine-cancer-risk
13. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8561257/
14. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3282879/