For decades, salon workers and consumers, particularly Black and Latina women, have been exposed to dangerous levels of formaldehyde in hair straightening products. Despite formaldehyde’s known link to cancer, asthma, and other serious health issues, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to take regulatory action.
In fact, the FDA has missed its own deadline to issue a proposed formaldehyde ban five times in 2024 and 2025, continuing a pattern of delay and inaction that has been ongoing since well before we sued the FDA to demand action in 2016. It is time for the FDA to prioritize public health and release this long overdue rule once and for all!
This campaign calls for:
- An urgent national ban on formaldehyde in hair straightening products.
- Protection for salon workers, their clients, and consumers.
- Accountability from companies that sell products that expose people to formaldehyde
- Centering voices of impacted communities.
Take Action!
Our hair should be a source of empowerment, not a source of exposure to harmful chemicals.
Join us in this critical call to action to demand that the FDA prioritize our health. Take action below!
Know Before You Go (For Salon Workers and Clients)
Salon workers and goers are often exposed to repeated levels of formaldehyde through hair straightening treatments, putting their health at risk over time. Whether you’re providing the service or sitting in the chair, you deserve safe working environments and access to accurate information about the products you use.
It is important to understand potential risks you face in salon environments. Below are ingredients you should look for in salon straightening products and questions you can ask your stylist and colleagues to protect your health and safety in the salon!
What to Look For on Ingredient Lists
The following ingredients may release formaldehyde during heat styling, even if the product label does not explicitly say formaldehyde. When reviewing ingredient lists for beauty products, look for chemicals such as:
- Formaldehyde
- Methylene glycol
- Quaternium-15
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- Diazolidinyl urea
- Polyoxymethylene urea
- Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate
- 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bronopol)
- Glyoxal
Questions to Ask Before Your Appointment
- What product will be used during treatment?
- Can I see the ingredient list?
- Are there safer alternatives available?
- Does the product contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals?
- Does your salon use products with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals?
Check the Product Before Your Appointment
Weave’s Formaldehyde Consumer Safety Database provides updated information on products that contain or release formaldehyde.
Browse before your next hair appointment or shift at the salon:
Share Your Story
Are you a salon professional or beauty consumer that has been impacted by formaldehyde exposure? We want to hear from you! Stories like yours help advance protections to your health.
Click below to share your story.
Voices Behind the Crown
Our Beautiful Hair campaign raises awareness about the disproportionate impact of formaldehyde exposure on women of color, particularly Black women, shaped by longstanding societal and cultural pressures surrounding hair.
Voices Behind the Crown is a digital storytelling series celebrating the beauty, history, and cultural significance of Black hair. We aim to honor the diversity of the Black hair experience while challenging Eurocentric beauty standards.
States Are Taking Action!
Several states are already taking action to protect consumer and salon worker safety by banning or restricting the use of formaldehyde in hair straightening products. It’s a model the rest of the country can follow. Learn more about these efforts below!
States with formaldehyde bans/restrictions:
California:
Maryland:
Washington:
Resources
Below are resources to support this campaign to advance the ban on formaldehyde and safe spaces you can turn to for protecting yourself and your hair against toxic chemicals.
- Beautiful Hair Digital Toolkit
- Natural Hairstyle & Braid Coalition (NHBC): A New York-based nonprofit founded in 2022, NHBC is committed to advancing natural hair care through public education and legislative advocacy.
- Oh My Heavenly Hair (OMhh) Sanctuary: A holistic beauty and wellness space focused on natural hair care, scalp health, and self-care practices.
- Simplee Beautiful – The CurlyTextured ACADEMY: The educational branch of Simplee BEAUTIFUL brands, offering virtual and in-person textured haircare training for individuals and professionals. Founded by Diane Da Costa, the academy provides tutorials, DIY sessions, and master classes tailored to natural hair care and styling.
