Colorado state lawmakers are considering warning labels for some popular hair products
Braided hair is an aesthetic tradition rooted in Black culture, but a growing number of studies show many synthetic hair extensions are toxic. Researchers have found carcinogens -- including formaldehyde -- in the products, which are aggressively marketed to Black women and largely unregulated.
"I went to the store and I actually looked and I was like 'There is nothing on here telling us what's in these products," said state Rep. Regina English.
She and state Rep. Junie Joseph plan to change that. They introduced the Hair Product Transparency and Safety Act. It would require manufacturers of synthetic hair and hair relaxers -- which chemically straighten hair -- to include warning labels if their products contain carcinogens or reproductive toxins. Those who don't would face fines of $10,000 a day.
"Maybe some people will still buy them even though they are labeled, but we need consumers to be aware so that they can make (an) informed decision," said Joseph.
A 2022 study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found women who regularly use hair relaxers had a 156% higher risk of uterine cancer and a 30% higher risk of breast cancer.
"Black women are often disproportionately impacted by cancer -- breast cancer and also ovarian cancer -- and we also, disproportionately, we tend to be the consumers of a lot of these products," said Joseph.
Many women began using the products as kids, wearing them for 4-6 weeks at a time.
"It's a multi-billion-dollar industry that a lot of us Black and Brown women contribute to," said Joseph.
English says women deserve to know if their hair products are toxic.
"When you have a chemical reaction that's on your scalp, it would be good to know what triggered this. So identifying what chemical is in this packaging is not only lifesaving but it's the right thing to do," she said.
The FDA doesn't regulate cosmetic products but, in 2022 it said it would work on a rule to ban formaldehyde in hair straighteners. It's still working on it four years later.
