FDA misses another deadline on proposed ban on formaldehyde in hair-straightening products

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration has missed its latest deadline to propose banning formaldehyde and certain formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from hair-straightening products, often used by Black women.

The proposed rule had an action date of the last day of December 2025, according to experts, which the agency lists as “12/00/25.”

But the FDA says the rule is still in the works.

“FDA’s proposed rule, ‘Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing Products or Hair Straightening Products’ continues to remain a priority for the Agency,” an agency spokesperson said in an email. “FDA may adjust the anticipated publication date of this and other proposed rules when appropriate.”

The agency added that it will provide “periodic updates” to deadlines or other projected through the FDA’s Unified Agenda, which typically updates semi-annually, in spring and fall.

The FDA’s first deadline on the proposed rule was October 2023.

“That timeline was later moved to April 2024, then November 2024, March 2025, July 2025 and now December 31, 2025,” David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health advocacy group, said in an email.

“Formaldehyde is a well-established carcinogen that can also cause respiratory irritation, skin sensitization, and other adverse health effects such as an increased risk of asthma,” he said. “Every delay directly puts at risk the health of salon workers and consumers, particularly Black women, who are disproportionately exposed to harmful chemicals in personal care products.”

In 2021, salon workers joined forces with the Environmental Working Group and the nonprofit Women’s Voices for the Earth to press the FDA to act. In a citizen petition, they requested that the agency take regulatory action to prohibit formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, like methylene glycol, in hair-smoothing products and hair-straightening products.

Due to worry about the chemicals’ links to increased cancer risks, the FDA under the Biden administration signaled that it was considering a ban on these ingredients in certain cosmetic products, including chemical hair relaxers and pressing treatments. Those products are heavily marketed to Black women, which also raises concerns about disproportionate health impacts.

But for the remainder of the Biden administration and into the second Trump administration, the FDA repeatedly pushed back its action date. Official action was never taken.

“Every day these products stay on the market further undermines public confidence in the FDA’s ability to safeguard health,” Andrews said, adding that “because this is not a legally mandated deadline, there are no formal consequences if it is missed,” but it remains unclear when or whether the proposed rule will be published at all.

A rule in limbo

There is no formal consequence or penalty for the FDA missing its deadline.

But to move forward, the regulatory process would involve the agency formally publishing the proposed rule in the Federal Register. The rule then would be up for public comment. After the comment period closes, the agency would review and analyze all comments received and decide whether to finalize or withdraw the rule. If the agency moved forward with the rulemaking process, it would prepare a final version of the rule and publish that in the Federal Register.

The Trump administration has included toxins and “harmful chemical exposures,” including those released by consumer products, among the list of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ priorities.

Scientists have long warned about a troubling link between the use of hair-straightening chemical products and an increased risk of certain hormone-related cancers, including uterine, ovarian and breast cancers, particularly among Black women.

“Several epidemiologic studies, including work conducted by my colleagues and myself, have raised concerns about associations between frequent use of chemical hair straighteners and increased risks of uterine fibroids, infertility, and hormone-related cancers, including uterine, ovarian, and breast cancers,” Dr. Lauren Wise, a professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health who studies the potential dangers of hair-straightening products, said in an email.

Fibroids are growths of tissue that form in the uterus. Although they are typically noncancerous and often not dangerous, they can cause heavy bleeding, anemia and pelvic pain, and they may lead to complications when they grow. Some fibroids could cause infertility or pregnancy loss. Black women are up to three times more likely to be diagnosed with fibroids than White women.

Wise led a study published Wednesday in the American Journal of Epidemiology on hair relaxer use in relation to the incidence and growth of uterine fibroids.

“In this 2025 paper, recent use of temporary hair relaxers showed stronger positive associations with fibroid incidence and growth than use of permanent hair relaxers,” Wise said.

“This is informative because temporary hair relaxers are suspected to contain more formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals than permanent relaxers,” she added. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to look at these two types of hair relaxers separately in relation to fibroid development.”

And Black women are disproportionately affected, Wise said.

“These concerns are especially important in the context of racial disparities in exposure: hair relaxer use is much more common among women of color, particularly Black women, who often begin using these products at younger ages and continue use over many years,” she said.

“This pattern results in greater cumulative exposure during critical windows of development, including childhood, adolescence, and the reproductive years,” she said. “There is no safe level of exposure in consumer products that are heated and inhaled, particularly in occupational settings such as hair salons.”

Finalizing the proposed rule so that formaldehyde would be banned as an ingredient in hair-straightening products would “reduce ongoing harm, ensure equitable protection for consumers and workers, and clearly communicate that hazardous ingredients have no place in cosmetics,” Andrews said. “The FDA must act immediately to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products. After more than a decade of warnings, promises and scientific agreement, the risk to public health is simply too great to wait any longer.”

Several lawmakers have repeatedly called for the FDA to act on this issue.

US Reps. Shontel Brown of Ohio, Nydia Velázquez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have supported the proposed rule and continue to encourage the FDA to propose a ban.

“This is really simple to me. Do we care about Black women getting cancer or do we not? Every action, or inaction, on this issue flows from that question – and we can see how people are answering,” Brown said in an email.

“I’m beyond frustrated, because we’ve written letters, we’ve spoken out, we’ve filed legislation. There is a mountain of evidence that hair products being marketed to us everyday are harmful – so let’s do the right thing and get them off the shelves,” she said. “The FDA owes the American people an explanation for these continued delays.”

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