Brown, Pressley, and Velázquez Introduce the Healthy Hair Act

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today introduced the Health Hair Act, legislation to effectively ban formaldehyde from hair products. 

The Health Hair Act 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 United States. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09) is an original cosponsor of the bill, which is cosponsored by 13 members of the House of Representatives. 

Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, has been linked to increased cancer incidence, respiratory illness, and reproductive harm, including fibroids. Formaldehyde is a common element in hair relaxers and straighteners that are largely marketed to Black women. Black women are also more likely to develop uterine cancer, and twice as likely to die from it, which has also been linked to exposure to hair products. 

“It is time to get hair products that are making us sick off the shelves, out of stores, and out of salons. The evidence builds every day that chemical hair relaxers and straighteners are killing Black women, and this is a public health and consumer safety crisis that must be addressed. Since the FDA continues to delay, Congress must move first. I am proud to introduce the Health Hair Act with Congresswoman Velazquez and Congresswoman Pressley because women, hairdressers, and their families deserve better,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.

"The FDA had every opportunity to ban formaldehyde in hair products, and their failure to act has put the health of millions of women at risk. No one should have to choose between straightening their hair and their health, especially Black women and salon workers who face the greatest risks. This bill will finally ban these dangerous chemicals and make clear that Congress will not stand by while consumers are exposed to a known carcinogen. If the FDA won't act, we will," said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. 

“Whether in schools, in the workplace, or in our everyday lives, Black women have been overlooked, punished, and criminalized for our hair. Not only does that come at an emotional cost, but a physical one too,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “The beauty products marketed to Black women and girls and found in our salons contain toxic, unregulated chemicals—leaving us to disproportionately suffer from adverse health impacts like cancer. Black women, girls, and salon workers should be able to show up without putting our health at risk. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Healthy Hair Act with Reps. Brown and Velazquez to regulate these hazardous products and affirm our right to safer alternatives.” 

“The link between chemical hair straighteners and extreme harms like cancer is not a matter of debate, nor has it been for years. This is the reality for countless Black women across America who, whether due to their workplaces’ demands, society’s pressures, or simply their personal preferences, turned to these carcinogenic products to alter their hair texture. Products we know to be dangerous have no place on the shelves of our stores and salons, and no business being anywhere close to our bodies. I am proud to fight alongside my colleagues to protect consumers and salon workers from the proven unsafe side effects of hair straightening products and bridge the health inequities that too often leave Black women and girls behind," said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke.

The Healthy Hair Act is cosponsored by: Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Jahanna Hayes, Rep. Summer Lee, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Rep. Robin Kelly, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. 

The bill is also endorsed by the Clean Beauty Coalition. 

In 2023, following a push from Brown and Pressley, the Food and Drug Administration announced a proposed rule to ban formaldehyde. Last year, Brown, Velazquez, and Pressley called on the Trump Administration to cease delay and implement the rule, but the FDA has continued to delay action. 

Brown is the author of the U-FIGHT Act, separate legislation to create a new federal grant program for the detection and treatment of uterine fibroids. Brown is also a co-lead of Congresswoman Clarke’s Uterine Cancer Study Act, which requires additional federal research into the relationship between chemical hair straighteners and uterine cancers. 

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