FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 17, 2025
MEDIA CONTACTS
Erika Wilhelm | 415.539.5005 |Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
Emily Akpan | 347.728.2910 | Consumer Reports
Bold, New Federal Legislation Will Make Beauty & Personal Care Products Safer for All by Banning the Worst Toxic Chemicals, Protecting Communities of Color, & Strengthening Transparency
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), introduced the Safer Beauty Bill Package: a sweeping bill package made up of four federal bills aimed at getting the most toxic chemicals out of make-up and personal care products, increasing ingredient and supply chain transparency, and protecting the health of at-risk populations including women of color and salon workers.
Despite mounting scientific evidence linking toxic beauty ingredients to serious health conditions—including breast cancer, reproductive harm, early puberty, and learning disabilities—federal law still permits their use in everyday products. The 80-year paradigm of a self-regulated cosmetics industry shifted in 2022 when Congress passed a sweeping new cosmetic safety law referred to as MoCRA – the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulations Act of 2022. This new law gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration some important new regulatory authority. However, MoCRA did little to change the actual safety of the ingredients in beauty and personal care products. The Safer Beauty Bill Package directly addresses gaps in the federal regulation of cosmetic safety that were not addressed by MoCRA, including ingredient safety and transparency, which is what consumers care about most.
And while numerous countries around the world have adopted stronger ingredient safety regulations, the United States continues to lag dangerously behind. The European Union has banned over 2,400 toxic chemicals from personal care products—yet the U.S. FDA has banned or restricted only 18 since the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act became law in 1938. Even the states have addressed ingredient safety more aggressively than the FDA. In the past two years alone, Vermont banned 17 chemicals and two entire classes from cosmetic products, California banned 25 chemicals, and Washington and Oregon banned 13 chemicals and three classes of chemicals from cosmetic products. Yet here in the U.S., companies can still use virtually any ingredient in a cosmetic product without FDA pre-market testing or review.
“The Safer Beauty Bill Package gives the FDA the statutory power it needs to get some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet out of our beauty and personal care products and matches the new high bar for cosmetic safety established by the states,” said Janet Nudelman, Director of Program and Policy at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and their Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “These bills recognize that everyone deserves protection from unsafe cosmetic exposures regardless of where they live, shop, or work.”
This four-part legislative package would set long-overdue standards for ingredient transparency and safety, plus create much-needed protections for women of color and professional salon workers who are most at risk for unsafe cosmetic chemical exposures.
“It’s time to close the loopholes that allow toxic chemicals in the products we use on our bodies every day,” said Rep. Schakowsky, the author of all four bills. “Consumers want and deserve transparency, safety, and accountability—and this legislation delivers exactly that.”
The Safer Beauty Bill Package is more than a policy proposal—it’s a necessary intervention in a growing public health crisis. With cancer, infertility, and hormone-related illnesses on the rise, Congress now has the opportunity to act decisively to protect millions of people from daily, invisible chemical exposures.
The Safer Beauty Bill Package Includes:
- Toxic-Free Beauty Act (Reps. Schakowsky and Fletcher)
Bans two entire classes of chemicals, plus 18 of the most hazardous chemicals—including lead, mercury, formaldehyde, asbestos, phthalates, and parabens—that are linked to cancer, brain damage, and reproductive harm from beauty and personal care products. Most of these substances are already banned in the European Union and by several U.S. states. - Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color & Salon Workers
(Reps. Schakowsky and Pressley) Targets the disproportionate exposure to toxic chemicals in cosmetic products marketed to salon workers and women of color, especially Black women, who are most impacted by toxic exposure The bill funds $30 million in research, public education, and safer alternatives, and for the first time, directs the FDA to oversee the safety of synthetic hair products often used by Black communities. A recent Consumer Reports investigation tested and discovered cancer-causing chemicals in all 10 of the synthetic hair products popular among Black women across the country. - Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act (Reps. Schakowsky and Matsui)
Requires full disclosure of hazardous fragrance and flavor ingredients on product labels and brand websites. Beauty businesses must also provide direct links to safety information for any ingredient known to negatively affect human health, offering consumers access to and information about harmful, toxic chemicals present in their beauty and personal care products. - Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act (Rep. Schakowsky)
Mandates ingredient and safety data sharing throughout the cosmetics supply chain—from raw material and fragrance suppliers to private label product manufacturers—to allow manufacturers and brand owners to make the safest possible cosmetic products and improve industry-wide transparency and accountability.
Every day, the average American uses 12 personal care products containing up to 168 unique chemicals, many directly linked to harmful health effects, and women of color are thought to use twice as many products. Breast cancer, learning disabilities, early puberty, and reproductive and developmental harm are all on the rise; hundreds of scientific studies show it’s due in part to our ongoing daily exposure to toxic chemicals lurking in our homes, workplaces, and our communities—including our beauty and personal care products.
In an alarming new report released today, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners reveals that over 98% of fragrance chemicals either lack basic safety data or are classified as high or potentially high concern by scientific authoritative bodies, linked to cancer, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, and other serious health effects. The report exposes major flaws in the self-regulated, $50 billion fragrance industry, where harmful chemicals are routinely used in perfumes, personal care, beauty, and cleaning products—without consumer knowledge or consent.
These regulatory gaps in cosmetic safety are exactly why advocates, NGOs, and clean beauty businesses are championing the federal Safer Beauty Bill Package. The bill package has garnered widespread support and a powerful, unified call for change, with endorsements from over 150 health, environmental justice, consumer organizations, and safer beauty brands including Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Black Women for Wellness, California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Consumer Reports, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Women’s Voices for the Earth, Badger, Counter, Crunchi, Dr. Bronner’s, Innersense Organic Beauty, Intelligent Nutrients, and Sienna Naturals.
“Safe, accessible beauty cannot wait. After more than 80 years of inaction, the United States finally updated its cosmetics laws in 2022. President Joe Biden was able to sign into law the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, which now gives authority to the Food and Drug Administration to recall beauty and personal care products that are harming human health. While this was an important first step, our work is not done,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “I am proud to reintroduce the Safer Beauty Bill Package with my colleagues, Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Doris Matsui, and Ayanna Pressley, which would protect consumers from toxic chemicals linked to hormone disruption, cancer and other health problems; require full ingredient transparency for consumers and manufacturers; and protect the health of women of color and salon workers, who are among the most highly exposed to toxic chemicals because of the products marketed to them or commonly found in their workplaces. We must pass the Safer Beauty Bill Package now!”
“For decades, the beauty products marketed to Black women and girls and found in our salons have contained toxic, unregulated chemicals – leaving us to disproportionately suffer from increased incidences of cancer, respiratory issues, and adverse reproductive outcomes,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “This isn’t a coincidence – this is exploitation. Black women, girls, and salon workers should be able to show up every day as our beautiful, authentic selves, without fear for our health and safety. It’s past time that we regulate these hazardous products and affirm our right to safer alternatives, and I am proud to co-lead the Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color and Salon Workers Act and partner with my colleagues and dedicated advocates on the Safer Beauty Bill Package to do exactly that.”
“Many people assume that the personal care and beauty items they use are safe, but with minimal oversight, many of the care, beauty, and salon products sold across the country actually contain toxic chemicals,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “I am glad to partner with Congresswoman Schakowsky to reintroduce the Toxic-Free Beauty Act to protect the health and safety of people across the country by banning chemicals known to cause significant harm in beauty products.”
“Creating hairstyles with braiding hair is a form of cultural expression that’s deeply personal to Black women and girls—including in my own family,” said Dr. James E. Rogers, Director of Product Safety Testing at Consumer Reports. “But recently we found concerning results in synthetic braiding hair products widely used to create these styles, including carcinogens detected in all of the samples Consumer Reports tested. Personal care products should enhance well-being, not introduce harmful risks. The Safer Beauty Bill Package offers a meaningful path forward by eliminating some of the most dangerous chemicals in personal care products, advancing marketplace transparency, and helping to ensure that consumers and salon workers have access to safer products.”
“At a time when very young girls, influenced by social media, are increasing their use of make-up and skincare products, it is more important than ever to make sure these products are safe,” said Suzanne Price, CEO of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners. “Kids, and their parents, should not have to become scientific researchers in order to purchase products that do not contain harmful chemicals. With breast cancer rates rising in younger women and especially in young women of color, we cannot afford to wait to protect those most vulnerable from the chemicals linked to breast cancer in the products they put on their skin every day.”
“Everyone deserves to feel safe using products that touch their bodies every day—yet dangerous, toxic chemicals are still lurking in beauty and personal care items, especially those marketed to women of color and used in professional salons. The updated Safer Beauty Bill Package brings us closer to long-overdue federal protections by banning harmful chemicals, requiring full fragrance and ingredient disclosure, and demanding transparency from the supply chain. It’s past time to hold this industry accountable—because beauty should never come at the cost of our health,” said Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director at Women’s Voices for the Earth.
“Black Women for Wellness (BWW) recognizes the critical importance of the Safer Beauty Bill Package. It represents meaningful progress in protecting the health and well-being of women and girls from toxic chemicals in our everyday products,” said Janette Robinson Flint, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness. “The United States lags far behind European countries, which have already banned dozens of harmful ingredients, monitored the toxicity of personal care, beauty, and food products, and promoted toxic-free lifestyles. Women, girls, and all people in this country deserve better from our legislators, regulatory agencies (EPA/FDA), and corporations. Congress has an opportunity to meet this moment with a sense of urgency by passing legislation that bans toxic chemicals in personal care, beauty, cleaning, and household products. BWW applauds Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s leadership in carrying this legislation and our partners for remaining steadfast in eliminating chemical threats to our health, safety, and wellness. Like the CROWN Act, this bill package affirms that our beauty, our health, and our daughters are worth protecting.”
“The California Black Health Network supports the Communities of Color and Professional Salon Workers Act wholeheartedly,” said Rhonda Smith, Executive Director, CBHN. “Salon workers often suffer from prolonged overexposure to toxic chemicals that are linked to a multitude of health conditions that result in poorer health outcomes for communities of color. They deserve to have every opportunity to work and provide a service to their community in an environment that is safe for everyone and protects their health and well-being, and the Communities of Color and Professional Salon Workers Act is vital to ensure this actually happens.”
“Nail and hair salon beauty professionals, who are mostly low-wage earners, immigrants, and women of color, are exposed daily to a toxic array of dangerous chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” said Lisa Fu of California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. “The Federal Safer Beauty Bill Package will help ensure products are safer and more transparent for these two communities, who deserve to work in a safe and healthy environment.”
“Studies show that women of color, and Black women in particular, face greater exposure to these toxic chemicals due to racist beauty standards – on top of already being exposed to more toxic chemicals in their everyday lives,” explained Jordana Vanderselt, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “That is why we support the Federal Safer Beauty Bill Package, which will remove many of these dangerous chemicals from products, improve transparency with regard to product labels and the supply chain, and increase awareness and protection for salon workers – many of whom are women of color.”
The Safer Beauty for All national coalition envisions a future where beauty is defined not just by appearance, but by safety, transparency, and respect for health. The Safer Beauty Bill Package lays the foundation for that future—one where no one has to choose between self-care and safety. Congress must lead us there, starting now.
For more details, visit:
www.BCPP.org | www.SafeCosmetics.org
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Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) is the leading national organization working to eliminate toxic chemicals and other environmental exposures linked to breast cancer. www.bcpp.org
BCPP’s Campaign for Safe Cosmetics leads the movement to make beauty and personal care products safer for all. www.safecosmetics.org
Consumer Reports is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. www.consumerreports.org
