Shontel Brown

WASHINGTON D.C. (InvestigateTV) — Ohio Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown has been advocating for a federal ban of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair products for years to safeguard men and women of color.

With no end in sight, she’s now taking the matter to her fellow lawmakers.

“The fact that so many Black women, Latina women are suffering with health conditions, particularly as it relates to things like fibroids, uterine cancer. And it has been linked to these chemicals that are in our beauty products, and most notably, hair care products. And so, we want to put a stop to that,” Brown said.

Brown previously spoke about the issue as part of InvestigateTV’s series, 'The Cost of Beauty,' which examined the health impacts of formaldehyde in hair products on consumers and hair stylists. It’s an issue that disproportionately impacts African American women who have historically used chemical hair relaxers to straighten coarse hair and to fit society’s beauty standards.

This new bill is aimed at targeting chemicals affecting not just consumers but also hairstylists.

“This legislation impacts everyone, not just women, but even men. When you think about the men that are styling,” Brown said. “You raise an excellent point with your story where you talked about the stylist who was impacted by the chemicals that were being used to provide services, beauty services. Once again, they’re heavily marketed to black and brown women. And so we want to make sure that those individuals are protected.”

As of February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has missed numerous deadlines to ban formaldehyde.

The main chemical in question is a toxic gas that poses serious health risks to both consumers and salon workers linking to eye problems, respiratory issues, and even certain types of cancer like ovarian cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen by the EPA.

Frustrated by FDA inaction, Brown and more than a dozen lawmakers are sponsoring a new bill called the “Health Hair Act,” which, if passed, would designate hair straightening or hair smoothing products containing formaldehyde as adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, prohibiting their sale or distribution in the U.S.

She said if the FDA won’t do it, they’ll take it into our own hands and make it a law.

InvestigateTV reached out the FDA for comment on the proposed bill, the agency responded “that it does not comment on pending legislation” and that the FDA’s proposed rule on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals continues to remain a priority for the agency.

The agency also added that it’s still developing the proposed rule and cannot comment further about questions of timing or content at this time.

Brown wants to make it clear that this issue impacts the lives of many women nationwide and should be addressed now.

“I would tell [people] that beauty should not cost you your life. And this, what we’re dealing with, is something that has created great risk for Black women and Latina women, and we want to make sure that we’re preventing that. So if you value life and you value the life of others, then that should be crystal clear to you why this legislation is important and why we need it right now,” Brown said.

The FDA said “it may adjust the anticipated publication date of the rule when appropriate and will provide periodic updates to the publication dates of upcoming rulemakings through its unified agenda page, which is published semi-annually.”

FDA’s full statement:

“As a matter of policy, FDA does not comment on pending legislation.

FDA’s proposed rule, “Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products” continues to remain a priority for the Agency.