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While researchers have focused on the health risks posed by formaldehyde in hair straighteners and nail treatments, a study released Wednesday highlights the extent to which the carcinogen pervades other routine beauty products.
Formaldehyde, and preservatives that release the chemical over time, can be found in a variety of personal care products often marketed to Black women, such as lotion, body wash, conditioner and face cream.
Research published Wednesday in Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that more than half of the participants used products containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
The study monitored 70 Black and Latina women as they used over 1,100 personal care products, averaging 17 products a day. According to the research, approximately 53 percent of the participants used products with preservatives that release formaldehyde.
Some women used multiple products containing the preservatives, while others used products such as lotions and hand soaps multiple times a day. And more than 70 percent of the formaldehyde-releasing products were used at least twice over the study period.
Robin Dodson, the associate director of research operations at the Silent Spring Institute and the study's lead author, said that while a lot of necessary attention has been paid to products that are used occasionally, there needs to be a greater focus on everyday products.
"I'm really concerned that we have a carcinogen that is basically intentionally being released into these products," Dodson said. "These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies. Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm."
Tesia Williams, a spokesperson for the Personal Care Products Council, a national trade association representing cosmetics and personal care products companies, said that formaldehyde-releasing agents are not equivalent to formaldehyde and do not present the concerns associated with breathing formaldehyde.
She added that the agents have been used for decades and "are widely considered safe and effective in protecting consumer personal care products against a broad spectrum of microbial contamination."
Researchers found formaldehyde-releasing preservatives in dozens of everyday items, including 20 body lotions, six body soaps and three shampoos. The preservatives were found in hair products such as gels, edge controls, oils and curl creams that are routinely used by Black women, as well as in eyeliners and eyelash glues. One eyelash glue specifically listed formaldehyde as an ingredient.
Dodson's study is the latest entry in a growing body of research on hair straightening chemicals and other personal care products marketed to women of color. Many of these products contain hazardous chemicals that are linked to a range of serious health issues, including breast cancer, ovarian and uterine cancers, fibroids and other reproductive harms. In 2022, a groundbreaking study showed a link between the use of hair relaxers and the increased risk of developing uterine cancer among Black women.
David Andrews, the acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, said that "formaldehyde and chemicals that release formaldehyde both pose significant health concerns" and have been "linked to higher rates of skin allergies and sensitivities."
The European Union banned the use of formaldehyde in cosmetics in 2009, though formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are permitted with restrictions and labeling requirements.
In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration proposed banning the use of formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair relaxers but failed to meet an April 2024 deadline.
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment.
In the absence of federal regulations, some states have moved to ban formaldehyde in cosmetic products. California's ban went into effect Jan. 1, and Washington state has proposed restrictions that could be adopted this year.
Researchers say that the study points to critical gaps in how personal care products are regulated in the United States and their disproportionate health impacts on women of color.
Kizzy Charles-Guzman, the chief executive of Center for Environmental Health, an advocacy group, said that without stronger protections, the health and well-being of women of color will continue to be compromised.
"Women, and particularly women of color, are impacted not just by what's on the shelves, but by how these products are marketed to us - and by the glaring lack of federal regulation that allows toxic ingredients to be used without meaningful oversight or clear labeling," Charles-Guzman said.
Dodson said warning labels could help steer people away from personal items containing formaldehyde. She also encouraged consumers to look at the ingredients label but acknowledged that many formaldehyde-releasing preservatives have obscure names that could be challenging for shoppers to avoid.
"We need some regulatory steps to really make sure that we can protect ourselves, because we should not be putting the burden on consumers to figure out these long, complicated names whenever they're standing in the aisle of a store," Dodson said.
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