The routine use of chemical hair relaxers has been a ubiquitous ritual among the African American community for generations—a habitual practice often initiated at a young age and continuing through adulthood. So much so that the product is often colloquially referred to as Creamy Crack because it is chronically relied on by millions to conform to Eurocentric notions of beauty. Unfortunately, we now know that for many, this ritual can turn deadly. The Carlson Law Firm is now currently accepting new cases and referrals involving the use of chemical hair relaxers, which recent studies have linked to the development of uterine cancer and ovarian cancer in users.
Scientific Research Shows Chemical Hair Relaxers Can Be Deadly
Chemical hair relaxer cosmetic products harness a strong mix of chemicals to destabilize the protein structure of curly hair and force it to lay flat. These chemicals include substances called phthalates, which are known to disrupt the endocrine system (tasked with producing hormones such as estrogen in biological women). Last year the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the findings of its decades-long Sister Study, which revealed that regular use of chemical hair relaxers significantly increases the risk of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and other hormone-related diseases in users.
NIH researchers found that Sister Study participants who reported “frequent” use of hair relaxers (defined as use more than four times per year) experienced a 150% increase in the rate of uterine cancer compared to the control group. The rate of ovarian cancer was similarly elevated among those who regularly used chemical hair relaxers.
The Carlson Law Firm Case
Hair relaxer lawsuits have been consolidated into a new Multidistrict Litigation in the Northern District of Illinois. The Carlson Law Firm is now currently accepting new cases and referrals involving the use of chemical hair relaxers leading to the development of ovarian cancer or uterine/endometrial cancer.
Here are the details for case screening:
Actionable Injuries:
- Uterine Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer (non-serous ovarian cancer)
- Uterine Sarcoma
Hair Relaxer Use Criteria:
- Long-term use (at minimum, must have two (2) years of hair relaxer use)
- Minimum four (4) uses of a hair relaxer in a 12-month period
- Preferably, used product in the year immediately preceding cancer diagnosis
- If discontinued use several years prior to cancer diagnosis, then hair relaxer use should be for period of at least five (5) years
Hair Relaxer Manufacturers/Brands (include but not limited to)
- L’Oreal USA Products, Inc.
- Optimum
- Dark & Lovely
- Godrej Consumer Products/Strength of Nature, LLC
- Motions,
- Just for Me
- Soft & Beautiful
- TCB Naturals
- African Pride
- Dabur USA Ltd/Namaste Laboratories, LLC
- ORS Olive Oil
- JF Labs Inc./AFAM Concept, Inc.
- Hawaiian Silky
- Others
