Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

Medical research released this year shows that long-term use of chemical hair relaxer products can significantly increase the risk of uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. One of the most popular brands of chemical hair relaxer is Motions®, which is manufactured by Strength of Nature Global, LLC. Hair relaxer product liability lawsuits are now being filed against Strength of Nature and other cosmetic companies by women who developed uterine cancer after using Motions relaxer products.

In this post, we will review the new scientific evidence showing that hair relaxers can cause uterine cancer and the hair relaxer lawsuits being brought against Strength of Nature involving its Motions relaxer products.

About Motions and Other Hair Relaxers

Many Black women in the U.S. use hair relaxers (also know as hair straighteners) to make their hair lay flat. These cosmetic products employ a powerful and often undisclosed mixture of chemicals to breakdown the protein structure of the hair. They get applied either in a salon or at home every 6 to 8 weeks.

There are a wide variety of hair relaxer brands and products (both professional and at-home kits) on the market. One of the most popular and top-selling line of hair relaxers is called Motions. Motions is sold at major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Sally Beauty Supply, and Walgreens. It is particularly popular among hair stylists.

The Motions line of hair relaxer products are manufactured and sold in the U.S. by a company called Strength of Nature Global, LCC, which is based in Georgia. Strength of Nature is a wholly owned subsidiary of Godrej Group, an large international conglomerate corporation based in Mumbai, India. Godrej Group was founded back in 1897 and today it owns and operates a wide range of subsidiary businesses in various sectors including real estate, appliances, furniture, and consumer products. Strength of Nature is essentially a holding company through which Godrej Group operates its U.S. line of consumer products.

New Evidence Linking Motions Hair Relaxer to Uterine Cancer

All hair relaxer or straightener products (including Motions) are made with very potent chemicals, many of which are not even disclosed on the product label. The chemicals in Motions and other products are known to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These are chemicals that interact with and disturb the normal function of the endocrine system, which regulates hormone production.

There have always been serious concerns about the potential health hazards of using hair relaxers over long time periods. Until recently, however, no meaningful scientific studies were ever done on this topic.

That changed dramatically this year when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) completed a groundbreaking clinical study that looked at the potential health hazards of chronic exposure to the chemicals in hair relaxer products like Motions. The study was called the Sister Study and it included over 33,000 participants and covered over a decade.

The concerning results of the Sister Study made headlines when they were published in October 2022 in a major medical journal. The Sister Study found that women who frequently (at least 4 times per year) used hair relaxer products like Motions, had a significantly increased risk of uterine cancer. In fact, the study showed that using hair relaxer products increased the risk of uterine cancer by 150%.

The Sister Study, and other previous scientific studies, also showed evidence to indicate that using hair relaxers was associated with increased risk of other hormone-related conditions such as uterine fibroids, and endometriosis.

Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuits

The eye-opening findings of the NIH Sister Study invariably sparked hair relaxer product liability lawsuits against Strength of Nature, L’Oreal, and other cosmetic companies. The lawsuits are being filed by women who allege that their uterine cancer was caused by their frequent and long-term use of hair relaxer products like Motions. Hair relaxer lawsuits are also being filed for injuries such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids, which have also been linked to relaxer products.

The hair relaxer plaintiffs in these lawsuits claim that the manufacturers, such as Strength of Nature, knew or should have known that the chemicals in their products were harmful and could increase the risk of uterine cancer and other conditions. According to the plaintiffs, these companies chose to disregard this and market their products as completely safe for regular use.

A group of plaintiffs in pending hair relaxer lawsuits have filed a motion with the JPML requesting that all hair relaxer product liability cases in federal courts be consolidated into a new class action MDL. Thousands of lawsuits could potentially be filed against Strength of Nature and other companies alleging that their hair relaxer products caused uterine cancer or other injuries. The MDL motion will probably be granted.

Potential Settlement Value of Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuits

We estimate that a successful Motions hair relaxer lawsuit involving uterine cancer as the primary injury could have a potential settlement value in the range of $300,000 to $1.75 million. So why is this value estimate range so wide? The main reason is that cases involving uterine can present a broad range of circumstances. Uterine cancer in older, post-menopausal women is has relatively good outcomes in most cases. When uterine cancer occurs in younger women, however, it tends to be more aggressive, and it can have devastating consequences including loss of reproductive ability.

Our settlement value estimate for Motions hair relaxer lawsuits involving other injuries, such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis, is much lower for two reasons. First, uterine cancer is a more serious and potentially life-threatening injury, so it has a higher value. Second, the causation evidence linking uterine fibroids and endometriosis to hair relaxers is less compelling than the evidence for uterine cancer.

Contact Us About Filing a Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

Our firm is currently investigating product liability cases alleging that chemicals in Motions hair relaxer caused uterine cancer, and other conditions. If you think you qualify for a lawsuit involving chemical hair straightener, contact our office today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.