Dark & Lovely Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Uterine Cancer, Fibroid Risks from Hair Relaxer

Plaintiffs seek refunds and medical monitoring for women who bought and were exposed to Dark & Lovely hair relaxer chemicals

Amid growing concerns of hair relaxers and uterine cancer, a group of women from Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas have filed a class action lawsuit over Dark & Lovely, indicating that manufacturers of the hair relaxer failed to disclose that toxic chemicals in Dark & Lovely may increase the risk of uterine cancer, fibroids and endometriosis.

Dark & Lovely is a widely used chemical hair straightener or relaxer, which has been marketed as safe and effective for Black women to use for decades. However, recent studies have found that products contain a number of toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals, which are known to pose a number of long-term side effects, which were never disclosed by the manufacturer.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Evelyn Williams, Tabatha Taggart, Tameka M. Meadows, Deborah Taylor and Daphne Valentine in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 3, seeking class action status to pursue damages for themselves and similarly situated consumers.

Each of the women indicate that they purchased Dark & Lovely hair relaxer, unaware it may be adulterated with toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals, and maintain that they never would have paid for the product if they had been warned about the potential health risks. None of the plaintiffs indicate they have been diagnosed with a specific injury, but claim that the manufacturer should be required to pay for medical monitoring and other damages.

Chemicals in Dark & Lovely May Cause Cancer, Fibroids and Endometriosis

The Dark & Lovely class action lawsuit was filed against L’Oreal USA and Softsheen-Carson, Inc., who also face a growing number of similar Dark & Lovely lawsuits now being filed by women who have been diagnosed with uterine cancer, breast cancer, uterine fibroids, endometriosis and other injuries following regular use of the products. Similar hair relaxer lawsuits have also been brought against the makers of competing products, including Just for Me, Optimum, Motions, Olive Oil Girls and other popular relaxers or perms.

In this new class action lawsuit over Dark & Lovely, plaintiffs indicate that the manufacturers have made false and misleading statements about the safety of hair relaxers, leading consumers to spend money on a product they would not have otherwise purchased. Many of the women have used the products for years, often starting when they were children.

“Hair products such as relaxers contain hormonally active and carcinogenic compounds, such as phthalates, known to cause endocrine disruption, are not listed separately as ingredients but, instead, are often broadly lumped into the ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ categories,” the lawsuit states. “Relaxer habits usually begin in formative childhood years, and adolescence is likely a period of enhanced susceptibility to debilitating conditions resulting from exposure to these chemicals.”

The lawsuit seeks to establish a multi-state class action for any consumer who purchased any of the defendants’ hair straighteners or relaxers in the U.S. from May 25, 2017, to the present. In addition to medical monitoring, the Dark & Lovely lawsuit seeks a full refund of the purchase price consumers paid for the hair relaxer, and an injunction which would prevent the defendants from continuing to sell products which may be adulterated due to the presence of toxic chemicals.

Hair Relaxer Cancer Risks

In recent years, studies have been published that make a connection between use of hair relaxer and cancer, raising concerns about the wide spread use of the products by Black and other minority women throughout the U.S.

In October, researchers published findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which warned that ingredients used in the chemical hair relaxers may cause uterine cancer. Researchers found that the rate of uterine cancer was nearly three times greater among women who frequently used hair relaxer chemicals, compared to women who never used the products.

A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Cancer (IJC) issued similar findings, indicating women who reported regularly using straighteners and permanent hair dyes were 9% more likely to develop breast cancer than non-users.

Over an eight year period, researchers identified 2,794 cases of breast cancer after chemical hair straighteners use. The study revealed those who frequently used hair straightener products were at a significantly increased risk of breast cancer, finding women using hair straighteners at least every five to eight weeks, had a 30% increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Researchers warned that African American women who reported using permanent hair dyes regularly were associated with a 60% increase of breast cancer diagnosis, compared to an 8% increased risk for Caucasian women.

Uterine fibroids and endometriosis have been associated with phthalate metabolites used in hair relaxers.

For women actually diagnosed uterine cancer, breast cancer or uterine fibroids, product liability lawyers are reviewing individual Dark & Lovely lawsuits to pursue settlement benefits for the actual medical damages and pain and suffering caused by the hair relaxers. Those claims will be handled separately from any potential class action lawsuits brought against the manufacturers, seeking refunds and medical monitoring.