FDA misses another deadline on proposed ban on formaldehyde in hair-straightening products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration missed its deadline to recommend a ban on formaldehyde and some formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair straightening products commonly used by black women.
The action date for the proposed rule was the last day of December 2025According to experts, the agency lists it as “12/00/25.”
But the FDA says the rule is still in the works.
“The FDA’s proposed ‘Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as Ingredients in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products’ rule remains a priority for the Agency,” an agency spokesperson said in an email. “FDA may adjust the expected publication date of this and other proposed rules when appropriate.”
The agency added that it will provide “periodic updates” to projected deadlines or others through the FDA’s Unified Agenda, which is typically updated every six months in the spring and fall.
FDA’s initial deadline for the proposed rule was: October 2023.
“This timeline was later moved to: April 2024then November 2024, March 2025July 2025 and now December 31, 2025,” David Andrews, acting chief scientific officer of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health advocacy group, said in an email.
“Formaldehyde is a well-established carcinogen that can also cause respiratory irritation, skin sensitization, and other adverse health effects such as increased risk of asthma,” he said. “Each delay directly risks the health of salon workers and consumers, especially women of color, who are disproportionately exposed to harmful chemicals in personal care products.”
In 2021, salon workers joined forces with the Environmental Working Group and the nonprofit Women’s Voices of the Earth to pressure the FDA to take action. In a petition to citizens, they demanded that the agency take regulatory action to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals such as methylene glycol in hair straightening products and hair straightening products.
The FDA under the Biden administration has signaled that it is considering bans of these ingredients in some cosmetic products, including chemical hair relaxers and pressing treatments, due to concern about the chemicals’ link to increased cancer risks. These products are predominantly marketed to black women, raising concerns about their negative health effects.
But for the remainder of the Biden administration and the second Trump administration, the FDA repeatedly delayed the action date. No official action was ever taken.
“The fact that these products remain on the market further undermines the public’s confidence in the FDA’s ability to protect health,” Andrews said. “Because this is not a legally mandated deadline, there are no formal consequences if it is missed,” but it remains unclear when or if the proposed rule will be published.
An unclear rule
There are no official consequences or penalties for missing the FDA’s deadline.
But to move forward, regulatory process It would involve the agency formally publishing the proposed rule in the Federal Register. The rule will then be open to public comment. After the comment period closes, the agency will review and analyze all comments received and decide whether to terminate or withdraw the rule. If the agency moves forward with the rulemaking process, it will prepare a final version of the rule and publish it in the Federal Register.
The Trump administration has included toxins and “exposure to harmful chemicals,” including those released from consumer products, on its list of harmful substances.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services priorities.
Scientists have long warned of a disturbing link between the use of chemical hair straightening products and an increased risk of some hormone-related cancers. uterus, ovarian And chest cancers, especially among Black women.
“Several epidemiological studies, including those conducted by my colleagues and I, have raised concerns about associations between frequent use of chemical hair straighteners and increased risks of hair straightening.” uterus myomas, infertilityand hormone-related cancers, including uterus, ovarianAnd breast cancersD., a professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. Lauren Wise, Potential dangers of hair straightening productshe said in an email.
Fibroids are tissue growths that form in the uterus. Although they are not typically cancerous and generally not dangerous, they can cause heavy bleeding, anemia, and pelvic pain and can lead to complications when they grow larger. Some fibroids can cause infertility or pregnancy loss. black women up to three times more possibilities Fibroids are diagnosed more frequently than white women.
Wise led a study published Wednesday. American Journal of Epidemiology On the use of hair relaxants in relation to the incidence and growth of uterine fibroids.
“In this 2025 paper, recent use of temporary hair relaxers showed stronger positive associations with fibroid incidence and growth compared to use of permanent hair relaxers,” Wise said.
“This is informative because temporary hair relaxers are suspected to contain more formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals than permanent relaxers,” he added. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine these two types of hair relaxants separately for fibroid development.”
Black women are disproportionately affected, Wise said.
“These concerns are especially important in the context of racial disparities in exposure: Hair relaxer use is much more common among women of color, especially Black women who often begin using these products at younger ages and continue to use them for many years,” she said.
“This pattern results in greater cumulative exposure during critical windows of development, including childhood, adolescence and the reproductive years,” he said. “There is no safe exposure level for consumer products that are heated and inhaled, especially in occupational settings such as hair salons.”
Andrews said finalizing the proposed rule to ban formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair straightening products “will reduce ongoing harm, provide fair protection for consumers and workers, and make clear that hazardous ingredients have no place in cosmetics.” “The FDA must take immediate action to ban formaldehyde in hair straightening products. After more than a decade of warnings, promises, and scientific agreements, the risk to public health is too great to wait any longer.”
Many lawmakers have repeatedly called for the FDA to take action on this issue.
U.S. Reps. Shontel Brown of Ohio, Nydia Velázquez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts supported the proposed rule and continue Urging the FDA to propose a ban.
“It’s really simple to me. Do we care or don’t we care about Black women getting cancer? Every action or inaction on this issue stems from that question, and we can see how people are responding,” Brown said in an email.
“I’m so angry because we’ve written letters, we’ve spoken out, we’ve proposed legislation. There’s a mountain of evidence that the hair products marketed to us every day are harmful, so let’s do the right thing and take them off the shelves,” she said. “The FDA owes the American people an explanation for these ongoing delays.”
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