After Brown, Pressley Inquiry, FDA Proposes Ban on Harmful Chemicals in Hair Relaxers

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed rule to ban certain harmful chemicals in hair smoothing or hair straightening products. The FDA’s proposal, which follows a March letter from Reps. Brown and Pressley calling for an investigation by the agency into the health risks posed by chemical hair straighteners, would ban formaldehyde and other formaldehyde-releasing chemicals as an ingredient in these products. 

“On behalf of women across the country, especially Black women, I applaud the FDA’s new proposed rule banning formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals from hair straighteners,” said Rep. Brown. “Thank you to Administrator Califf, the entire team at the FDA, and the Biden-Harris Administration for hearing our voices and taking this necessary next step. 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.”  

“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,” said Rep. Pressley. “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.”

In their letter, Pressley and Brown noted that due to anti-Black hair sentiment, Black women use these products at a higher rate to relax their hair, likely putting them at a higher risk of developing uterine cancer and other negative health outcomes.

###