Weaving Voices for Health & Justice Calls on NY Assembly to Pass the Beauty Justice Act 

With just a week to go before the New York Assembly adjourns, Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (Weave) is calling on legislators to pass the Beauty Justice Act, A.2054A (Glick), without delay. The bill passed the Senate in April and has 98 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Assembly but has not been scheduled for a floor vote. 

Formerly known as Women’s Voices for the Earth, Weave is an environmental health organization representing thousands of supporters in New York. For three decades, Weave has conducted research into the safety and disclosure of ingredients used in beauty and personal care products.  Our 2023 study, EXPOSED: Ingredients in Salon Products & Salon Worker Health and Safety, found hazardous chemicals in salon products that harm lungs, cause allergic skin reactions, and are linked to cancer and reproductive harm. Despite decades of warnings about these chemicals from public health officials and known harm to salon workers, very little innovation toward safer chemistry is evident in the professional salon product industry. The few harmful ingredients that have been removed from products have been replaced with chemicals that are no safer than those being removed. 

The Beauty Justice Act would prohibit many of the most harmful ingredients found in beauty products, with an emphasis on products that disproportionately harm Black women and girls. It would protect consumers and salon workers alike and bring New York in line with other states like California, Washington, Oregon, and Vermont that have enacted similar policies. New York’s consumers deserve the same protection! 

For decades, salon workers and consumers, particularly Black women, have borne the health costs associated with toxic chemicals in beauty products.  

At Weaving Voices for Health & Justice, our work is rooted in our commitment to equity and justice, including but not limited to racial, environmental, and economic justice. The policies we support reflect our belief that everyone deserves access to products and environments that support optimal well-being and thriving communities. The Beauty Justice Act seeks to address those harms while accelerating the transition to safer and affordable products that are already available across the marketplace. We believe no one should have to bear the burden of preventable health risks to earn a living or to look and feel their best. 

New York residents, visit our partners at Clean & Healthy to send a message to your Assembly member today.