- The Beauty Justice Act (AB 2054B) has strong bipartisan support with nearly 100 co-sponsors; CR urges Albany to act before the session is scheduled to end this week
- Several U.S. states and the European Union already have similar protections
- CR’s testing found toxic chemicals in braiding hair and every hair dye product tested
YONKERS, NY—Consumer Reports (CR) today called on the New York Assembly to pass the Beauty Justice Act before the upcoming end of the 2026 legislative session. The bill has already passed the State Senate and has 98 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Assembly—well over half of the members in the chamber. The bill prohibits the sale of cosmetics and personal care products containing toxic ingredients like lead, asbestos, formaldehyde, mercury, and PFAS.
“The math is simple, and the evidence is clear,” said Oriene Shin, Safety Advocacy Manager at Consumer Reports. “The New York Assembly has 150 members, and 98 of them are co-sponsoring the Beauty Justice Act. If this bill gets a vote in the Assembly and every co-sponsor votes ‘yes,’ it will pass overwhelmingly. It has already passed the Senate twice. New York should join other states in protecting consumers from chemicals linked to cancer and other serious health harms. The bill has earned a floor vote. Assembly leadership must act now and pass the Beauty Justice Act before the session ends.”
In 2025 and 2026, CR released two investigations on braiding hair and found concerning levels of lead, carcinogens, and volatile organic compounds in nearly every product tested—including products marketed as “non-toxic.” In addition, CR’s 2026 investigation of 23 hair dye products found contaminants in every single one, including the known carcinogen benzene and phthalates linked to hormone disruption and reproductive harm. These findings are part of a documented pattern of toxic exposure in personal care products disproportionately impacting women—especially Black women and girls.
The Beauty Justice Act (A 2054B/S 2057B) would eliminate many of the toxic substances in cosmetics that CR found in its testing. However, the bill has remained with the Ways and Means Committee in the New York Assembly since March 2026, despite passing the NY Senate 51-11, and having strong bipartisan support in the Assembly with 98 co-sponsors.
The Beauty Justice Act would:
- Ban only intentionally added toxic chemicals: not trace amounts, byproducts, or naturally occurring contaminants. If a harmful chemical wasn’t deliberately put in a product, it is not covered by this bill—with an exception for lead, which has no safe level.
- Target only the most harmful substances: including phthalates, PFAS “forever chemicals,” volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and certain heavy metals. The bill does not ban all chemicals of concern—only a small subset of the most dangerous ones.
- Set science-based limits on lead: The bill restricts lead at levels determined by the Department of Environmental Conservation, based on established health benchmarks.
California, Washington, Oregon, and Vermont have all passed laws restricting toxic chemicals in personal care products. The European Union prohibits more than 2,400 chemicals in such products. Consumers in those places still have access to personal care products at all price points, and are simply better protected than consumers in New York.
The Beauty Justice Act would help to ensure every New York consumer is protected from toxic chemicals in cosmetics linked to cancer and other serious harms. CR urges Assembly leadership to bring this bill to a floor vote and pass the bill before session ends.
***
Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org