Sponsors (17)
The bill prioritizes reducing formaldehyde exposure to protect consumers and salon workers and to clarify regulatory authority, at the cost of near-term economic pain for manufacturers, distributors, and salons plus administrative burdens on regulators.
Consumers (particularly women who use straightening treatments) and salon workers will have reduced exposure to formaldehyde because products that contain or release formaldehyde are classified as adulterated and barred from interstate commerce, lowering risks of respiratory, cancer, and other formaldehyde-linked health harms.
Consumers, regulators, and workplace stakeholders get clearer regulatory definitions and evidence-based recommendations (via studies and reporting) that improve enforcement, consumer information, and guidance for safer workplace protections.
Research-directed identification of knowledge gaps may spur development and adoption of safer product alternatives and innovation in formulations that do not release formaldehyde.
Manufacturers and distributors (including small businesses) must stop selling existing keratin/smoothing formulations that contain formaldehyde within 180 days, risking lost sales, product recalls, reformulation costs, and disruption to supply chains.
Consumers who rely on specific hair‑straightening treatments may lose access to preferred products or face higher prices if reformulated products are limited or more expensive.
Salon owners and workers may face transitional disruptions, retraining needs, uncertainty, and potential future compliance costs if alternatives are less effective or if study recommendations lead to new regulations.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Shontel M. Brown · Last progress February 25, 2026
Prohibits the sale or interstate introduction of any hair straightening or smoothing product that contains formaldehyde or any formaldehyde-releasing substance by classifying such products as adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The product prohibition applies to items introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce 180 days after enactment. Directs the FDA, in consultation with NIOSH, to study short- and long-term health impacts from exposure to these products—focusing on salon workers and associations with cancer, respiratory disease, and endocrine disruption—and to deliver an initial report to Congress within 1 year and a final report within 2 years and 2 months with findings and regulatory recommendations.