Beauty and personal care products marketed to women of color often contain more toxic ingredients than products marketed to white women. As a result, women of color face greater exposure to toxic ingredients used in beauty and personal care products. This is unacceptable. Women of color deserve the same access to safer beauty products.
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Your personal care products, from hair moisturizer to mascara, can expose you to toxic chemical ingredients, like parabens, phthalates, phenols and mercury. Even small amounts of exposure to certain chemicals are linked to fertility issues, cancer and more. And these exposures add up over time.
Clean beauty is on the rise, but efforts are predominantly focused on products marketed to white women. Products for darker skin tones and for curly, coily hair types are often ignored.
Companies need to put equity front-and-center in their efforts to put safer personal care and beauty products on store shelves.
Here’s how.
Create a chemical policy that includes a specific, time-bound goal to incorporate equity that ensures safer products across your product portfolio.
Require ingredient disclosure from your suppliers and enhance your data management systems to be able to track product and ingredient hotspots.
Disclose ingredient and product information to your customers to support informed decision-making and build trust.
Create clear and credible criteria for prioritizing chemical safety in products that are marketed to people of color.
Make your commitment public to encourage other companies to drive a safer and more equitable marketplace.
1.8x higher levels of diethyl phthalate detected in African Americans.
This endocrine-disrupting compound is a common fragrance ingredient.1
1.8x higher levels of diethyl phthalate detected in African Americans.
This endocrine-disrupting compound is a common fragrance ingredient.1
Recent efforts to prioritize beauty justice within federal oversight of cosmetic safety have yet to succeed.2
Recent efforts to prioritize beauty justice within federal oversight of cosmetic safety have yet to succeed.2
30x higher levels of mercury
detected in the urine of Dominican women who used skin lightening creams.3
30x higher levels of mercury
detected in the urine of Dominican women who used skin lightening creams.3
40% greater risk of early onset periods for women who used hair oil or hair perm products as a child.
This is a risk factor for breast cancer.4
40% greater risk of early onset periods for women who used hair oil or hair perm products as a child.
This is a risk factor for breast cancer.4
84% of chemicals detected in hair products marketed to Black women are not listed on the label.5
84% of chemicals detected in hair products marketed to Black women are not listed on the label.5
Hormone-disrupting chemicals banned in the EU
found in hair relaxers marketed to Black women in the US.6
Hormone-disrupting chemicals banned in the EU
found in hair relaxers marketed to Black women in the US.6
Six leave-in hair products commonly used by Black women were found to impact hormonal activity.7
Six leave-in hair products commonly used by Black women were found to impact hormonal activity.7
10x higher diethyl phthalate levels found in Black and Dominican hairdressers than office workers.
This chemical is associated with adverse reproductive and neurodevelopment effects.8
10x higher diethyl phthalate levels found in Black and Dominican hairdressers than office workers.
This chemical is associated with adverse reproductive and neurodevelopment effects.8
Over 50% of the ingredient labels in 546 products used by Black, Latina and Vietnamese women were found to list chemicals of concern.9
Over 50% of the ingredient labels in 546 products used by Black, Latina and Vietnamese women were found to list chemicals of concern.9
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/index.html
2. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners. (2021). Safer Beauty Bill Package. https://www.bcpp.org/resource/safer-beauty-bill-package-2021/
3. McKelvey W, Jeffery N, Clark N, Kass D, Parsons PJ. Population-based inorganic mercury biomonitoring and the identification of skin care products as a source of exposure in New York City. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(2):203-209. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002396
4. James-Todd T, Terry MB, Rich-Edwards J, Deierlein A, Senie R. Childhood hair product use and earlier age at menarche in a racially diverse study population: a pilot study. Ann Epidemiol. 2011;21(6):461-465. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2011.01.009
5. Helm JS, Nishioka M, Brody JG, Rudel RA, Dodson RE. Measurement of endocrine disrupting and asthma-associated chemicals in hair products used by Black women. Environ Res. 2018;165:448-458. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.030
6. Helm JS, Nishioka M, Brody JG, Rudel RA, Dodson RE. Measurement of endocrine disrupting and asthma-associated chemicals in hair products used by Black women. Environ Res. 2018;165:448-458. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.030
7. James-Todd T, Connolly L, Preston EV, et al. Hormonal activity in commonly used Black hair care products: evaluating hormone disruption as a plausible contribution to health disparities. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021;31(3):476-486. doi:10.1038/s41370-021-00335-3
8. Boyle MD, Kavi LK, Louis LM, et al. Occupational exposures to phthalates among Black and Latina U.S. hairdressers serving an ethnically diverse clientele: a pilot study. Environ Sci Technol. 2021;55(12):8128-8138. doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c00427
9. Johnson, P.I. (2022, May 12). Personal Care Product Use and Chemical Exposure among Black, Latina, and Vietnamese Women in California Communities [PowerPoint slides]. https://www.healthandenvironment.org/assets/images/webinarimages/2022.05.12_CAPABLE_PaulaJ.pdf
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