Environmental Health Orgs Call on Trump’s Newly Confirmed FDA Commissioner to Ban Formaldehyde!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 17, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Imani West, Communications Director
Advocates Condemn Continued Delays as Public Health Risks Increase
Denver, CO – On Tuesday, April 15, Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE), in partnership with 41 environmental and public health organizations from across the country, has issued a formal letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding immediate action to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products. The call is directed to the newly confirmed FDA Commissioner, Dr. Martin Makary, urging him to advance a long-overdue rule within 90 days.
Formaldehyde is a dangerous carcinogen used in hair straighteners and smoothing treatments. Its use in these products places salon workers and consumers at risk for cancer, respiratory complications, and severe allergic reactions.
“The FDA’s repeated failures to implement a formaldehyde ban in hair straightening products reflect a broader issue of regulatory inertia that endangers our health. Regulators cannot continue to sideline public health for bureaucratic delays and budget cuts. The time for action is now.” said WVE Director of Programs Jayla Burton.
In 2016, Women’s Voices for the Earth and the Environmental Working Group sued the FDA for failing to act on a six-year-old petition urging the agency to investigate the health hazards of formaldehyde in these products. Nearly a decade later, the agency continues to delay regulatory action.
Despite initial promises to act in April 2024, the FDA has now postponed its proposed action date four times, with the most recent deadline passing in March 2025. The continued inaction leaves thousands of salon professionals and customers—disproportionately Black and Latina women—facing preventable and dangerous chemical exposures on a daily basis.
This urgent call-to-action comes on the heels of the FDA’s recent workforce reduction, laying off nearly 3,500 FDA employees while critical matters remain unaddressed, including the long-awaited formaldehyde rule.
“Formaldehyde has been listed as a carcinogen since 2011, but consumers and salon workers continue to suffer due to a lack of government action. It is our hope that Commissioner Makary will quickly advance the FDA’s proposed ban on formaldehyde in hair straighteners despite the reported layoff of 3,500 FDA employees,” shared Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director of Women’s Voices for the Earth.
Environmental and public health leaders warn that continued inaction will not only lead to adverse health effects for thousands of Americans across the country, but it also sends a dangerous message: that the health of consumers, salon workers, and especially vulnerable communities, can be ignored for years despite overwhelming scientific evidence and public outcry.
“Black and Brown women have long borne the brunt of toxic beauty standards and the products that come with them. The continued delay in banning formaldehyde—a known carcinogen—is not just a regulatory failure, it’s a public health injustice. We urge the FDA to prioritize the lives, health, and dignity of communities most impacted and move swiftly to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products once and for all.” shared Diamond Spratling, Founder & Executive Director of Girl Plus Environment.
“Black Women for Wellness Action Project stands in strong solidarity with Women’s Voices for the Earth in calling for a ban on formaldehyde in hair straightening products. For too long, Black and marginalized women have borne the brunt of toxic beauty standards—exposed to harmful chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, respiratory issues, and reproductive harm. Environmental Justice encompasses Beauty Justice in requiring the prioritizing of our health and safety over profit—and it’s time the FDA put our lives first by removing these dangerous products from the market.” — LaKisha G. Camese, Policy Analyst for Black Women for Wellness/Action Project.
To read the full letter visit bit.ly/wveformaldehydebanletter
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