As federal regulations lag behind international safety standards, Consumer Reports calls on the New York Assembly to pass the Beauty Justice Act and not let it stall another session.
YONKERS, NY—Consumer Reports (CR) tested 23 popular at-home hair dye products sold online and in stores across the country and found detectable levels of toxic chemicals in every product tested. CR’s testing found a probable human carcinogen—methylene chloride—in every product. Alarmingly, the risks extend to kids: two hair chalks marketed to children contained benzene, a known carcinogen. Read our full investigation here.
CR’s testing highlights an industry-wide problem that demands an immediate response. CR is calling on L’Oréal Paris—the top-selling hair color brand in the United States and the brand with the highest levels of methylene chloride in our tests—to immediately remove toxic chemicals from its products. But L’Oréal is not alone: Revlon ColorSilk contained the second- and third-highest levels of methylene chloride of any product we tested. Sign our petition and add your voice.
“Consumer Reports’ findings confirm what we already feared: the products people use on their bodies and in their own homes are not being held to a basic standard of safety,” said Oriene Shin, safety advocacy manager at Consumer Reports. “For years, industry has ignored warnings from advocates about toxic chemicals in personal care products, putting people’s health at serious risk. Companies must step up to eliminate these harmful chemicals and regulators must strengthen safety standards so that they put people’s health first.”
CR’s investigation highlights a federal regulatory system that is failing consumers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets no limits on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in hair dyes, doesn’t require full ingredient disclosure, and legally permits “a poisonous or deleterious ingredient that may make it harmful to consumers” in the product as long as labels warn about skin irritation rather than long-term health risks.
Consequently, Americans are held to a significantly lower safety standard than consumers in the European Union, where nearly 1,700 toxic chemicals, including methylene chloride, are already banned in cosmetics. CR and partner groups successfully pressured the FDA to ban lead acetate from progressive hair dyes in 2018, and is now urging further action to ban probable carcinogens in hair dyes and other personal care products.
While federal action is essential, state lawmakers have the power to protect consumers right now. In New York, the Beauty Justice Act passed the State Senate last year but stalled in the Assembly. As the Legislature returns from its budget session this month, the bill must advance out of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and to a full floor vote.
“Harmful chemicals have no place in our everyday products,” said Shin. “Not in the dyes adults use to cover their grays. Not in the chalk kids use for school spirit day. Not anywhere. The science is clear. The legal and regulatory gap is real. The time for New York lawmakers and Congress to act is now. People cannot afford another year of inaction.”
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Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org