Fellowship Cohort Spotlight: 2024 – 2025 WVE Fellows Lead the Way for a Healthier Future

This past year, Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) proudly welcomed four exceptional fellows from the University of Colorado Denver into our 2024–2025 cohort. Each student led an independent project addressing urgent issues related to environmental health, product safety, and reproductive justice—all while advancing WVE’s mission to eliminate toxic chemicals that harm our health and communities. 

Throughout the year, our fellows investigated toxic ingredients in everyday products, improved community education, and drove powerful advocacy efforts. Their work tackled critical topics including harmful chemicals in cosmetics, vaginal health risks in lubricants, toxins in haircare products, and menstrual equity. Together, they also hosted an inspiring Period PJ Party in Denver, where community members gathered to screen Period: End of Sentence, followed by interactive discussions and activities around menstrual equity and access to safe products. 

We’re honored to spotlight each fellow’s impactful work below. 

The project also involved: 

• Cleaning and analyzing state-reported ingredient data 
• Cross-referencing U.S. and EU regulatory practices, particularly using the EU Safety Gate database 
• Drafting advocacy letters to companies like Clarins and The Body Shop, urging them to fully phase out Lilial from their product lines

The project not only highlighted the dangers of Lilial exposure for consumers but also served as a broader call for corporate accountability and stricter regulatory oversight in the cosmetics industry. Sai was struck by the stark differences between product safety standards in the EU and the United States. Drawing from the information she gathered, she developed recommendations to raise public awareness and promote corporate responsibility on this issue. WVE will build on Sai’s project in the coming year, following up with companies still using Lilial in their U.S. products. 

Sai’s work is a powerful example of how data, advocacy, and communication intersect to protect public health and push for safer, toxic-free products. 

Nu created a unique, comprehensive spreadsheet detailing over 100 lubricants by: 

• Product name (A–Z)
• Manufacturer 
• Osmolality level 
• pH level 
• Ingredients 
• Condom compatibility

She was shocked to learn that an osmolality level above 380 can be harmful to the vaginal microbiome—yet many of the lubricants she analyzed had levels four to thirty times higher. Even more concerning, this information is not disclosed on product labels. In addition to creating the one-of-a-kind spreadsheet, Nu conducted a literature review of peer-reviewed studies and visited retail stores to assess which products are readily available to consumers. 

Nu’s work enhances our organization’s efforts to highlight the hidden hazards of some lubricants, while educating the public on how osmolality and pH affect vaginal health. Her contributions provide valuable tools to help users identify safer products and advocate for greater transparency and consumer safety in the intimate care product market. 

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and despite its health risks, it remains present in many hair-smoothing products sold in the U.S.—even in states that have banned it. Yami reviewed data from a 2018 product table and found that formaldehyde levels had increased in several products, with little to no action from the FDA. While some of these products are banned in the EU, many remain available in U.S. stores and online. 

Yami’s research also involved: 

1. Contacting manufacturers for Safety Data Sheets (SDS), most of which were not easily accessible—raising transparency concerns 
2. Updating our database with formaldehyde concentrations to identify trends over time 
3. Researching consumer access to hair-straightening products that contain formaldehyde

Yami uncovered significant challenges in obtaining Safety Data Sheets from manufacturers. She also observed that some brands we had previously assessed had increased the percentage of formaldehyde in their products, while others had rebranded entirely. Yami further investigated how salon-grade products containing formaldehyde continue to be available for consumer purchase. 

Through this campaign and investigation, Yami shed light on the risks faced by both salon workers and consumers, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger regulations and improved public education. Her work encourages individuals to read labels, use tools like Yuka, and advocate for stricter enforcement of existing bans. 

To guide this redesign, Miarri: 

• Interviewed past facilitators to understand what resonated, what challenges arose, and how the content impacted participants 
• Analyzed the existing curriculum, identifying areas where deeper engagement around sexual wellness and intimate product safety could be woven in 
• Developed recommendations and updates to broaden the workshop’s relevance while preserving its original spirit of community dialogue, storytelling, and education

From the interviews Miarri conducted, participants expressed a desire for the Our Stories, Our Flow workshop to include more content on vaginal health, safe product use, and body autonomy. Her work ensures the workshop remains a powerful tool for fostering shame-free spaces, promoting bodily literacy, and empowering people to advocate for safer, healthier intimate care practices. 

Miarri’s redesign not only honors the work of past fellows but also pushes it forward—making the conversation around periods, pleasure, and reproductive health more expansive and affirming for all.