Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), and Nydia Velásquez (D-N.Y.) are pushing the FDA to move faster on a proposed federal rule that would ban a dangerous chemical still found in some hair products.
In a recent letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, the lawmakers urged the agency to stay on track and meet a March deadline to move the rule-making process forward—specifically, to ban formaldehyde. The chemical, which is found in certain hair relaxers, straighteners, keratin treatments, and Brazilian blowouts, is a known carcinogen.
“Protecting public health should be the priority,” they wrote. “We’re encouraging the FDA to finalize this rule as quickly as possible.”
The trio said they’re especially alarmed by the delay, pointing to well-documented links between formaldehyde exposure and serious illnesses. A 2022 study by the Department of Health and Human Services linked the chemical to myeloid leukemia and hormone-sensitive cancers like breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
Their concern is even greater for Black women, who are more likely to use—or work with—formaldehyde-based hair treatments. “This isn’t just about products—it’s about the health risks that disproportionately impact Black women,” the letter emphasized, noting the harm to both customers and salon workers.
The proposed federal ban was originally introduced during the Biden administration, but since then, its progress has stalled. Pressley, Brown, and Velásquez are now asking the FDA for answers: What’s holding things up? What’s being done to move it forward? And are other potentially harmful chemicals in personal care products being studied?
This isn’t the first time these lawmakers have raised the alarm. Back in 2023, Pressley and Brown sent a letter to the FDA calling for a deeper investigation into the safety of hair straighteners. The FDA followed up with a proposed ban on formaldehyde that October.
At the time, Pressley called it a major public health win—especially for Black women.
“No matter how we choose to wear our hair, we should be able to do so without putting our health on the line,” she said. “This is about safety, equity, and dismantling the anti-Black bias that’s still baked into beauty standards.”
