Beauty without harm: US lawmakers push for safer cosmetics for Black women
US lawmakers have reintroduced the Safer Beauty Bill Package to ban and regulate dangerous chemicals in personal care products, providing consumer safety — particularly for Black women.
The collection, including four federal bills, aims to remove cancer-causing ingredients from skin and hair care products. It was put forward by representatives Jan Schakowsky, Lizzie Fletcher, Doris Matsui, and Ayanna Pressley.
One of the bills focuses on Black hair care, pushing for investment in R&D for safer straightening and relaxing chemicals.
“For decades, the beauty products marketed to Black women and girls and found in our salons have contained toxic, unregulated chemicals — leaving us to disproportionately suffer from increased incidences of cancer, respiratory issues, and adverse reproductive outcomes,” says Pressley.
“This isn’t a coincidence — this is exploitation. Black women, girls, and salon workers should be able to show up every day as our beautiful, authentic selves, without fear for our health and safety. It’s past time that we regulate these hazardous products and affirm our right to safer alternatives.”
The average American woman uses approximately 12 personal care products daily, resulting in exposure to an average of 168 unique chemicals. The lawmakers say the package gives Congress the opportunity to protect millions from daily toxic chemical exposure.
Protecting Black hair
Part of the Safer Beauty Bill Package, the Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color & Salon Workers bill funds US$30 million in research, public education, and safer alternatives in personal care products for people of color. For the first time, it directs the FDA to oversee the safety of synthetic hair products often used by members of the Black community.
“I am proud to reintroduce the Safer Beauty Bill Package… which would protect consumers from toxic chemicals linked to hormone disruption, cancer and other health problems; require full ingredient transparency for consumers and manufacturers; and protect the health of women of color and salon workers,” says Jan Schakowsky.
US representatives reintroduce federal bills to remove toxic chemicals from beauty products. A recent Consumer Reports investigation found cancer-causing chemicals in all 10 tested synthetic hair products popular among Black women.
Personal Care Insights previously spoke to James Rogers, director and head of product safety testing at Consumer Reports, about how Black women often use braiding hair, known to be integral to their culture.
Another US study recently revealed that formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, a group one carcinogen, are present in daily personal care products used by Black and Latina women. Hair and skin care products showed the highest amount of the toxins.
Earlier this year, a study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported that Black women face disproportionate health risks from the toxicity of personal care products marketed to them.
Co-author of the report, Dr. Kristian Edwards, claimed that Black women face pressure to use certain beauty products that help them conform to societal norms — such as relaxing their hair or participating in skin lightening.
Toxic-free beauty
Another bill included in the package is the Toxic-Free Beauty Act, which bans 18 of the most toxic chemicals, including mercury, parabens, lead, asbestos, and toluene. It also includes the classes of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and ortho-phthalates.
These substances have been linked to cancer, brain damage, and reproductive harm. The EU and a growing number of US states have banned many of these chemicals, but they are used in cosmetic products sold legally across the nation.
Earlier this year, Washington State’s Department of Ecology, US, released a draft regulation proposing a ban on 28 formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in beauty and personal care products manufactured, sold, or distributed statewide.
The FDA previously announced it would decide by April 2024 whether chemical hair straightening products sold in the US would be banned from using formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing ingredients. However, the proposal has been in limbo since this deadline.
President Donald Trump’s executive order pausing all federal regulations has further delayed this decision.
“Safe, accessible beauty cannot wait. After more than 80 years of inaction, the US finally updated its cosmetics laws in 2022. President Biden was able to sign into law the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, which now gives authority to the FDA to recall beauty and personal care products that are harming human health. While this was an important first step, our work is not done,” says Schakowsky.
The Toxic-Free Beauty Act aims to ban mercury, formaldehyde, parabens, and other carcinogens.
Last month, California’s Department of Public Health, US, identified over 170 personal care products that contained banned carcinogens and neurotoxins were being sold across the state. Following the discovery, the EWG called for urgent enforcement to remove products containing toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde, mercury, and PFAS.
Informing consumers on chemicals
The Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act in the Safer Beauty Bill Package requires full disclosure of hazardous fragrance and flavor ingredients on product labels and brand websites. It applies to retail consumer cosmetics and professional salon products.
“Americans deserve the comfort of knowing the products they use every day are safe and properly labeled,” says Matsui.
She states that the Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act is a “commonsense step toward protecting consumers and our public health.”
“[The bill] will introduce much-needed transparency and accountability to the cosmetics industry…Whether it’s a parent buying shampoo for their child or a professional exposed to dozens of products daily, every person should have clear, honest information about what they’re putting on their bodies.”
It would also force companies to provide a website link where consumers can get more information about any hazardous ingredient in their cosmetic products that negatively impacts human health.
“Many people assume that the personal care and beauty items they use are safe, but with minimal oversight, many of the care, beauty, and salon products sold across the country actually contain toxic chemicals,” adds Fletcher.
A new report by Breast Cancer Prevention Partners reveals that over 98% of fragrance chemicals either lack basic safety data or are classified as high concern by scientific authorities.
“These bills recognize that everyone deserves protection from unsafe cosmetic exposures regardless of where they live, shop, or work,” says Janet Nudelman, director of Program and Policy at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.
The bill package includes new FDA oversight for synthetic hair products used by the Black community. A Danish study last month also illuminated concerns in fragranced personal care products. It found that beauty items, especially lotions and perfumes, negatively impact the air around our bodies — the human oxidation field. These products can disrupt chemical reactions between the skin and the air, directly affecting human health and chemical intake, especially when inhaled.
Transparent supply chains
Lastly, the Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act in the Safer Beauty Bill Package mandates ingredient and safety data sharing throughout the cosmetics supply chain (ingredients, raw materials, products, and packaging). This data sharing would help manufacturers and brands make safer products and improve transparency.
“It’s time to close the loopholes that allow toxic chemicals in the products we use on our bodies every day. This legislation delivers exactly that,” says Schakowsky.
EcoBeautyScore, “the first” global, science-based environmental scoring system for cosmetics and personal care products, recently launched across Europe to satisfy the increased demand for product transparency.
The scoring system offers brands and retailers a clear and consistent way to measure and communicate the environmental footprint of beauty products.
