The FDA Missed Another Self-Imposed Deadline to Ban Formaldehyde 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Monday, January 12, 2026  

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Imani West, Communications Director  

Weaving Voices for Health & Justice 
imaniw@womensvoices.org 

Weavingvoices.org 

The FDA Missed Another Self-Imposed Deadline to Ban Formaldehyde 

A Pattern of Public Health Failures That Continues to Put Lives at Risk 

Denver, CO — Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (Weave) is extremely disappointed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) repeated refusals to release the long-overdue rule to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair straightening products. The end of 2025 marks yet another missed deadline to protect the public from toxic exposures, particularly for Black women and salon workers who have carried the burden of exposure for decades. 

For years, Weave, alongside environmental health advocates, salon workers, and community leaders across the United States, has urged the FDA to act immediately on evidence showing the serious health risks posed by formaldehyde in hair straightening products. Despite repeated promises and five missed deadlines, the agency has once again failed to meet its responsibility to safeguard consumers and workers. 

Since 2011, there has been public acknowledgement of health risks associated with formaldehyde exposure in hair straightening products, including cancer, reproductive harm, respiratory illness, and chronic health conditions. In 2023, the FDA first signaled that it was preparing a rule to address formaldehyde in hair straightening products, setting an action date of April 2024, raising expectations among workers, advocates, and impacted communities. The agency has missed its self-imposed deadline multiple times since the April deadline including, July 2024, September 2024, March 2025, and now December 2025. As of January 2026, the rule has still not been released.  

“Every delay in releasing this rule allows continued exposure to a known carcinogen, particularly for Black women and salon workers who bear the greatest risk,” said Jayla Burton, Director of Programs at Weaving Voices for Health & Justice. “The science is clear and well-documented. The continued inaction only leads to deeper damage.” 

In salons across the country, workers and patrons are exposed to formaldehyde day after day through inhalation and skin contact—often without adequate protection or full awareness of the danger they face. Black women, who are disproportionately targeted by and marketed to for these products, face health inequities because of institutional racism and regulatory failure. 

“This is yet another missed opportunity to prevent cancer, respiratory illness, and daily harm,” Burton added. “Communities who have waited years for this rule deserve more than silence and continued delays.” 

Advocates have repeatedly called on the FDA to release the rule and move toward a final ban, yet meaningful regulatory action remains stalled. 

“The FDA has known about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair straightening products for over a decade,” said Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director of Weaving Voices for Health & Justice. “Failing to release this rule yet again raises serious questions about whose health is being prioritized and whose is being sacrificed.” 

The delay also threatens public trust in federal health protections at a time when the United States is facing numerous administrative and regulatory reversals. 

“At a time when public trust in health protections is already fragile, continued delay only reinforces the perception that the FDA does not care about the lives of salon workers and consumers,” Erenberg continued. “Federal leadership requires action, not excuses and continued delays on critical regulation.” 

In 2025 alone, Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (formerly known as Women’s Voices for the Earth) led major efforts to elevate urgency and accountability: 

• April 2025: Weave and its partners sent an open letter to the FDA urging the agency to take action within 90 days, setting an expected release date of July 14, 2025, which the FDA failed to meet. 

• June 2025: Weave organized a National Day of Action, rallying advocates, experts, and community members nationwide to demand that the FDA ban formaldehyde once and for all, including delivering hundreds of personalized emails directly to FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary. 

• Throughout 2025: Weave continued to uplift salon worker stories, mobilize public action, and expand educational resources, including our updated formaldehyde consumer safety database, keeping this critical public health issue at the forefront of advocacy and public engagement. 

Weaving Voices for Health & Justice will continue to hold the FDA accountable until this rule is released and finalized. Through its Beautiful Hair Without the Scare campaign, the organization allows consumers to send a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary calling for the immediate release of the proposed rule to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products and invites salon workers to share stories of how they have been impacted by formaldehyde in their workplace. You can take action athttps://weavingvoices.quorum.us/campaign/beautifulhairwithoutthescareaction/ 

 
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About Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (Weave) 

Formerly known as Women’s Voices for the Earth 

Founded in 1995 as Women’s Voices for the Earth, Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (Weave) drives action towards a future free from the impacts of toxic chemicals rooted in gender justice alongside those historically and presently ignored by the environmental health movement by leveraging an intersectional solidarity approach based on our expertise in research, advocacy, and organizing.