Hair relaxers could be banned as part of FDA crackdown

Certain hair relaxers—used by millions of women, particularly African Americans—could be banned in the U.S. after two Black congresswomen raised fears that toxic chemicals used in some products pose a cancer risk.

U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Shontel Brown raised their concerns about the presence of formaldehyde—a known carcinogen—in some relaxers with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has reportedly responded with a proposal to ban its usage in such products.

“The FDA’s proposal to ban these harmful chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers is a win for public health – especially the health of Black women who are disproportionately put at risk by these products as a result of systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment,” Pressley said on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

Newsweek has reached out to the FDA by email seeking further information and comment.

Many Black women have historically felt compelled to straighten their hair to adhere to Westernized standards of what constitutes beauty, according to The Black Enterprise, a business and investing resource for African Americans. An FDA ban on relaxers would see a shake-up of the hair industry, the article said, affecting the product manufacturing process.

A statement posted online on Friday by Pressley, a Democrat who represents the Massachusetts 7^th District, revealed she and Brown had written to the FDA in March calling for an investigation into potential health risks posed by chemical hair straighteners. The statement reported that the FDA had replied with a “proposal… [that] would ban formaldehyde and other formaldehyde-releasing chemicals as an ingredient in these products.”

Pressley said: “Regardless of how we wear our hair, we should be allowed to show up in the world without putting our health at risk. I applaud the FDA for being responsive to our calls and advancing a rule that will help prevent manufacturers from making a profit at the expense of our health. The Administration should finalize this rule without delay.”

🚨NEWS: FDA responded to my letter with @RepShontelBrown by proposing a ban on harmful chemicals in hair relaxers.

This is a win for public health—especially Black women disproportionately put at risk by these products as a result of systemic racism & anti-Black hair sentiment. https://t.co/i8ItGpvi81

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) October 6, 2023

Brown, a Democrat who represents Ohio’s 11^th District, added: “On behalf of women, especially Black women across the country, I applaud the FDA’s new proposed rule banning formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals from hair straighteners… We must ensure the products American consumers buy and use are safe, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Administration to implement this proposed rule.”

Pressley, who suffers from hair loss condition alopecia, has long campaigned to end hair discrimination, her statement noted. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the “Wigs as Durable Medical Equipment Act,” which mean wigs can be covered by Medicare for people suffering from cancer or alopecia.

And she has previously worked on legislation called the “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair (CROWN) Act” that seeks to ban discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures associated with a particular race.

On the FDA’s website, a section on hair dyes and relaxers currently reads: “Most hair dyes do not need to be tested or approved by FDA before they are sold.” However, the agency adds that the “FDA does monitor the safety of hair dyes and relaxers,” and goes on to appeal for Americans to contact officials if they develop “itchy or raw skin, scabs, hair loss or other problems after using these products.”

The web page also contains a section called, “Formaldehyde in Hair Smoothing Products: What You Should Know.” It explains: “Most hair smoothing or straightening products release formaldehyde gas into the air during the hair straightening or smoothing process. Formaldehyde gas is a known human carcinogen as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and formaldehyde exposure can cause both short- and long-term health effects.”

It links to a further web page addressing the use of formaldehyde in hair products, which was apparently posted on the site in February 2022. It suggests potential customers read the labels to see if the product contains formaldehyde, or formaldehyde-related products such as formalin or methylene glycol – in order to be informed “when considering hair smoothing products.” It only urges consumers not to buy the product if there is no list of ingredients.

Black news website The Root welcomed the proposed ban. It noted that a 2020 study by Harvard researchers discovered that there were harmful chemicals in 50 percent of hair products marketed to Black women, compared to just 7 percent of products marketed to non-Black women. While another study last year, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, found that frequent users of chemical straighteners were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who didn’t use the products.

The focus on hair relaxers follows a string of health stories as governments and organizations take a closer look at the ingredients used in household products and foods.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said commonly used sweetener Aspartame, which is found in thousands of products from Diet Coke to toothpaste, could “possibly” cause cancer. Further studies said it may be responsible for causing learning and memory deficits in the children of those who consumed it.

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