Brown Introduces HER Act to Support Research and Awareness into Personal Care Products Harming Women

Brown Introduces HER Act to Support Research and Awareness into Personal Care Products Harming Women
Legislation endorsed by the Endocrine Society and American Medical Women’s Association

Washington, DC- Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has introduced legislation to make the personal care products used by hundreds of millions of women safer. The Health & Endocrine Research on Personal Care Products for Women (HER) Act creates a new federal grant program for research, investigation, and awareness related to personal care products containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These chemicals have been linked to problems with reproductive health, pubertal development, fibroids, infertility, and other conditions. 

These federal grants would be awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and would bolster public health and medical research efforts relating to a number of chemicals commonly found in hair products, lotions, and makeup. Products containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as parabens and phthalates are much more commonly used by Black and Hispanic women compared to white women, potentially contributing to other negative health outcomes and disparities.

The HER Act is endorsed by the Endocrine Society and American Medical Women’s Association and is co-sponsored by Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-10), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). This legislation builds on Brown’s substantial legislative portfolio addressing women’s health, product safety, and racial health disparities, including her U-Fight Act addressing uterine fibroids filed last year.  

“All women deserve products that are safe, period. The HER Act promotes consumer safety, bolsters public health efforts, and addresses serious racial disparities that are making too many Black and Hispanic women sick. There is a clear nexus between unsafe products that are disproportionally used by Black and Hispanic women and the higher incidence of reproductive health issues that we experience. Too many people in Washington do not realize or do not care that most women use dozens of personal care products a day – and that these products come with very little oversight or consumer protection. The HER Act jumpstarts research and public awareness efforts that are sorely needed and I will continue to make sure that Black, Hispanic, and all women are heard from,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. 

“We know millions of women are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in personal care products, and these chemicals make us more susceptible to reproductive disorders, cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other serious health conditions,” said Endocrine Society spokesperson Laura Vandenberg, PhD. “This bill would raise awareness of research into these chemicals and help consumers understand which products are safe to use.”

“The HER Act, would prioritize essential research into the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on women’s reproductive health. As physicians and advocates for women’s well-being, we know that understanding the long-term health consequences of everyday personal care products is critical. This legislation is a vital step toward protecting future generations and ensuring that the products marketed to women are not silently harming them,” said Dr. Eileen Barrett, President of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA).  

Congresswoman Brown’s Leadership on Women’s Health 
 

• Congresswoman Brown has led the effort in Congress to call for a ban on hair relaxers and straighteners containing formaldehyde, which has been linked to increased cancer risk. Most recently, Congresswoman Brown, along with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, sent a letter to the FDA demanding answers on why the FDA has delayed implementation of a proposed rule that Brown and others first called for in 2023.
• In 2024, Brown introduced legislation to encourage a new federal grant program for the detection and treatment of uterine fibroids. The Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health and Treatment Act (U-FIGHT Act) authorizes HHS grants to increase early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids, education and awareness programs, and research. Fibroids can cause pain and reproductive problems. Fibroids disproportionally impact Black women and are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the US.
• Brown is a co-lead on the Uterine Cancer Study Act, with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York. The Uterine Cancer Study Act HHS, the FDA, and the NIH to coordinate and conduct a study on the relationship between hair straighteners and uterine cancer. Approximately 13,000 women die from uterine cancer each year and according to the American Cancer Society the incidence and mortality rates for uterine cancer are increasing.

The Health & Endocrine Research on Personal Care Products for Women (HER) Act 

• Authorizes federal grants for awareness, research, and investigation into the effects of personal care products containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the female reproductive system.
  • Research grants shall be awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
    • Reporting: Within 5 years HHS shall report to Congress on the findings of this research and make it publicly available.
      • The report shall include findings on disparities in access to non-endocrine disrupting personal care products, list safe and harmful products, and include strategies for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate product ingredients that harm women’s reproductive health by being endocrine-disrupting.
  • Investigation and awareness grants shall be awarded to States (including DC, US Territories, and Tribal organizations) for programs to investigate the impact of personal care products containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as well as programs for public awareness campaigns about the use of alternative personal care products that are less harmful.
    • Reporting: Within 5 years HHS shall report to Congress and make publicly available on the HHS website a report summarizing this investigation and the results of the programs funded. 
       
• Why It Matters: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances that can interfere with the endocrine system – the body’s network of glands that produce and regulate hormones – affecting various bodily systems, including reproduction.
  • Health Harm: EDCs such as phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), parabens, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes, including altered pubertal development, increased incidence of fibroids, infertility, and pregnancy complications.
    • The average woman uses 12 different personal care products a day. Personal care, hair, skin, and makeup products are less regulated than other products under the FDA.
  • Disproportional Impact: Studies indicate that Black and Hispanic women are more likely to use personal care products containing EDCs, leading to higher exposure levels compared to White women. This includes considerable research into the connection between hair straightening products used by Black women and uterine cancer.
  • Connection to Fibroid Disparity: Black women in the U.S. are two to three times more likely than White women to develop fibroids, a hormone-dependent condition, potentially linked to higher EDC exposure.

###