United States: In a startling discovery, a recent investigation unearthed that a majority of Black and Latina women residing in Los Angeles frequently apply personal-care items laced with a well-documented carcinogen.
Participants meticulously documented their weekly usage by capturing snapshots of ingredient labels from the products they used at home. The research, appearing in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, casts light on the everyday risks women unknowingly face.
Among 64 women, data revealed that 53% engaged in routine use of beauty items—ranging from soaps and lotions to conditioners, skin lighteners, and adhesives for eyelashes—that harbored formaldehyde or its chemical cousins known to release the toxic agent. This noxious substance, officially labeled a human carcinogen, is linked directly to various cancers.
“It’s deeply troubling that our daily rituals involve smearing substances capable of unleashing cancer-causing chemicals onto our bodies,” expressed lead researcher Robin Dodson, who is also the associate director at Silent Spring Institute, an organization devoted to examining environmental ties to breast cancer, according to NPR.
“Formaldehyde is incredibly effective at preserving—hence its use in embalming corpses—but that same strength underscores its danger. It’s toxic,” Dodson emphasized.
This landmark study is one of the first to verify that beauty products, broadly and not just in niche categories, are riddled with formaldehyde-releasing agents.
Cancer-Linked Formaldehyde Releasers Found in Everyday Personal Care Products Used by Black and Latina Women. A new study in Environmental Science & Technology Letters reveals that over half of Black and Latina women in South Los Angeles use personal care products containing… pic.twitter.com/OPBBWph3vs
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The data collected in 2021 focused specifically on Black and Latina demographics due to pre-existing research showing their elevated exposure levels, especially through hair and nail products. Scientists are probing whether habitual use of chemical straighteners, often packed with formaldehyde releasers, may be fueling disproportionately higher cancer deaths—breast, ovarian, and uterine—among Black women compared to their white counterparts.
Back in 2011, the federal government classified formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. Yet, more than a decade later, and despite public concern, the Food and Drug Administration has still not enacted a ban. Though a proposal to prohibit the chemical in hair-straightening treatments was expected in 2023, no formal action has been taken. The agency declined to issue a statement.
The new findings reveal that formaldehyde isn’t limited to hair straighteners. It creeps into everyday essentials like leave-in conditioners, wash-off lotions, and hand soaps—items that are used far more frequently than the occasional straightening treatment.
One woman in the study habitually used three formaldehyde-tainted products: two conditioners and a body cleanser. Another bathed daily using soap infused with the toxin, twice a day on average.
A Glut of Goods
The sheer scale of beauty routines among participants stunned health experts. Over a week, the 64 women used 1,143 products—averaging 17 items per person each day, with some reaching as many as 43, according to NPR.
“This overwhelming usage highlights the immense societal pressure women face to mold themselves into a specific aesthetic ideal,” commented Tracey Woodruff, a reproductive health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, who wasn’t involved in the study.
Study co-author Janette Robinson Flint, leader of Black Women for Wellness, pointed to deeper, systemic issues. “Black women are often nudged into reshaping their appearances to match Eurocentric beauty norms,” she stated. “We shouldn’t need a chemistry degree to avoid poisoning ourselves.”
You may be unknowingly giving your skin cancer right now, as reported on March 14, 2025:https://t.co/5Uj3YkI2kw pic.twitter.com/1ElBJz2pDs
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Woodruff echoed this sentiment: “These entrenched beauty ideals, favoring white standards, are part of a longer narrative of cultural erasure and inequity. They push people into using unsafe products just to be accepted.”
Both researchers urged a comparative analysis involving white women, which could shed more light on how beauty routines might feed into broader health disparities.
Dodson, Woodruff, and Flint joined in advocating for sweeping regulation of the beauty and personal-care industry, which remains largely self-governed.
Outlawed Abroad
Formaldehyde—an invisible, pungent gas—does more than just trigger cancer. It can provoke skin flare-ups and affect the respiratory system. Yet in US markets, ingredient lists often bury it under cryptic chemical names. For instance, DMDM hydantoin—a tongue-twisting label for 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin—is a common culprit. Most shoppers have no idea they’re being exposed, as per NPR.
Europe cracked down hard in 2009, banning the substance from all cosmetic products. Any item containing even the faintest trace of formaldehyde-releasing agents must carry a stark warning. In the US, 12 states, including California and Washington, have introduced or passed legislation to restrict its use, but enforcement and impact remain uncertain.
Reports submitted to California’s Department of Public Health show some progress. Between 2009 and 2022, the number of beauty items containing formaldehyde dropped by 90 percent.
“Consumers should arm themselves with knowledge and read labels as best they can,” Dodson advised. “But ultimately, the solution can’t rest on individuals. It’s time for firm, government-enforced bans—especially at the state level.”