Personal care, salon and beauty products sold across the U.S. are subject to little federal oversight — and many have been found to contain toxic ingredients.
The average American adult uses about 12 personal care products a day, Consumer Reports says, resulting in exposure to an average of 168 chemicals. Those can include formaldehyde, mercury, asbestos, lead and parabens, which have been linked to cancer, brain damage and reproductive harm. Women of color are thought to use twice as many products, according to Consumer Reports.
Despite mounting scientific research into the dangers posed by toxic chemicals, little has been done to ban them or at least label them on cosmetics.
A group of Democratic lawmakers hopes to change that.
On Wednesday, Reps. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Lizzie Fletcher of Texas, Doris Matsui of California and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced the "Safer Beauty Bill Package," a set of four bills designed to update what they call "an increasingly outdated set of federal cosmetics laws."
Each focuses on a different aspect of product safety, from banning the most toxic ingredients in everyday beauty supplies to creating protections for the women of color and salon workers who are disproportionately exposed to them.
"More than 10,000 chemicals are used to make beauty and personal care products," said Schakowsky, who authored all four bills. "We owe it to consumers to ensure the beauty and personal care products they use daily are safe."
This is an updated version of a similar package that lawmakers first introduced in 2021.
In 2022, then-President Biden signed into law the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls the most significant expansion of its authority to regulate cosmetics since its creation in 1938.
The law gave the FDA power to do things like issue mandatory recalls, require adverse event reporting and suspend manufacturers' facility registration. But lawmakers and consumer safety advocates say it did little to actually improve the safety of beauty and personal care products.
The lack of federal action has driven some states — including Vermont, California, Washington and Oregon — to enact their own bans on dozens of chemicals from cosmetic products in recent years.
The FDA did not comment when asked about the legislation.
The Personal Care Products Council — a leading cosmetics trade industry — told NPR in a statement that it is "fully committed to upholding the highest standards of safety, quality and transparency for cosmetics and personal care products."
The group says on its website that it has "a long history of science and safety best practices, often going beyond what is required by law." In a 2024 statement responding to concerns about PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," in personal care products, the group said that all cosmetic ingredients are subject to the same federal safety requirements, adding that "member companies take their responsibility for product safety ... very seriously."
Consumer Reports says that the Safer Beauty Bill Package addresses gaps in federal regulation that were not addressed by MoCRA, "including ingredient safety and transparency, which is what consumers care about most." The legislation has been endorsed by over 150 companies and organizations, many focused on environmental and consumer health.
Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, said in a statement that the bill package "matches the new high bar for cosmetic safety established by the states" and will help the FDA "get some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet" out of beauty products.
"These bills recognize that everyone deserves protection from unsafe cosmetic exposures regardless of where they live, shop, or work," she added.
What chemicals are we talking about?
Years of scientific research has linked toxic chemicals in hair, makeup and other personal care products to health problems including hormone disruption, respiratory issues, adverse reproductive outcomes and cancer.
That's especially worrisome for Black and Latina women, whom research shows are more often exposed to dangerous ingredients like formaldehyde in nail and hair products.
A Consumer Reports study published in March found cancer-causing ingredients in 100% of the 10 most popular synthetic hair products used in braids, extensions and other hairstyles popular with Black women.
Another study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters in May, found that formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing products are present not only in hair relaxers but in a wide range of beauty products that get even more regular use, including soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and eyeliner.
And a report released Thursday by Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, looking at the dangers of fragrances specifically, found that over 98% of fragrance chemicals either lack basic safety data or are classified as high or potentially high concern by scientific authorities.
"A gaping federal labeling loophole combined with a self-regulated fragrance industry allows for dozens — sometimes even hundreds — of chemicals to hide under the words, 'fragrance,' 'parfum,' 'aroma' or 'flavor' on the product labels of beauty and personal care products," the report reads.
Consumer advocates say product safety is becoming even more urgent, as girls turn to makeup and skincare products at a younger age and breast cancer rates on the rise among women under 65.
While the European Union has banned over 2,400 toxic chemicals from personal care products, the FDA only restricts about a dozen. Advocates and lawmakers want the U.S. to start catching up.
"It's time to close the loopholes that allow toxic chemicals in the products we use on our bodies every day," Schakowsky said.
What would these laws do?
The bills have been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration, the first step in the legislative process. Here's what they would do if passed:
- The Toxic-Free Beauty Act would ban two entire classes of chemicals — phthalates and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives — and 18 of the most hazardous chemicals, including mercury, formaldehyde and lead. These substances have already been banned by several U.S. states and the European Union.
- The Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act would require suppliers of raw materials, ingredients and private label products to disclose ingredients and safety data to cosmetic companies to improve industry-wide transparency and lead to safer products.
- The Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act would require that products' labels and websites disclose "all ingredients that can pose a health risk to consumers," from fragrances to flavors. Companies would also have to provide direct links to safety information for any ingredient known to harm human health.
- Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color & Salon Workers would fund $30 million in research, public education and safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in cosmetic products marketed to salon workers and women of color, especially Black women. It would also direct the FDA to oversee the safety of synthetic hair products.
Janette Robinson Flint, co-founder and executive director of Black Women for Wellness, said in a statement that she hopes Congress will "meet this moment with a sense of urgency."
"Women, girls, and all people in this country deserve better from our legislators, regulatory agencies (EPA/FDA), and corporations," she said.
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