Sponsors (17)
The bill prioritizes rapid removal of formaldehyde-containing hair-smoothing products and commissions studies to protect salon workers and consumers, but it shifts compliance costs onto manufacturers, distributors, and small businesses and may reduce product availability or raise prices while studies proceed under tight deadlines.
Consumers (including low-income individuals) and salon workers will be protected because products containing formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasers would be banned from interstate commerce after 180 days, reducing exposure to respiratory, eye, and cancer risks.
Salon workers and business owners will gain better, evidence-based information about cancer, respiratory, and endocrine risks from straightening products because the bill requires studies and reporting on these harms.
Consumers (particularly women and low-income individuals) may receive clearer guidance and regulatory recommendations to reduce exposure to harmful hair products, improving informed choices.
Manufacturers and distributors will face costs to reformulate products or stop selling formaldehyde-containing items within 180 days, creating compliance expenses and potential business disruption.
Salon owners and small business operators could incur regulatory, compliance, or enforcement costs if products are restricted or new rules follow from the studies.
Consumers (especially women and low-income individuals) may lose access to certain hair-straightening products or face higher prices and potential shortages if manufacturers reformulate or withdraw products.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Treats hair straightening/smoothing products with formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasers as adulterated (barring interstate sale) and mandates FDA–NIOSH studies with reports to Congress.
Treats any hair straightening or smoothing cosmetic that contains formaldehyde or any formaldehyde-releasing substance as an adulterated product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which effectively bars those products from interstate commerce 180 days after enactment. It also requires the FDA (in consultation with NIOSH) to study short- and long-term health effects of exposure to these products—focusing on salon workers and links to cancer, respiratory disease, and endocrine disruption—with an initial report to Congress in 1 year and a final report in 26 months.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Shontel M. Brown · Last progress February 25, 2026