• Posted January 24, 2025

FDA Formaldehyde Ban in Hair Products on Hold Once Again

A proposed ban on formaldehyde in chemical hair straightening products -- linked to cancer and other health risks -- has hit a roadblock after an executive order from President Donald Trump paused all new regulations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been considering banning formaldehyde and ingredients that release formaldehyde when heated from chemical hair straighteners. This comes after years of studies linking the chemical to cancers disproportionately affecting Black women.

Originally scheduled to finalize the decision by April 2024, the FDA then moved its target date to September 2024.

The delay has sparked concern among health advocates and organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which has pushed for a formaldehyde ban in hair products since 2008.

"Near the end of 2016, the FDA was prepared to ban it, there were scientists on the record saying, 'let's just ban the ingredient,' " Melanie Benesh, EWGs vice president of government affairs, told NBC News.

But momentum faded during Trump’s first administration in 2017, and the new executive order now places the proposal on hold once again.

Several states, including Maryland, California and Washington, have already banned formaldehyde in hair products, and Benesh hopes more states will follow suit in the absence of federal regulation. She expressed some optimism that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, may prioritize the issue.

Meanwhile, thousands of women have joined a federal class action lawsuit against the makers of chemical hair relaxers, claiming the products have caused cancers of the uterus and breast as well as other health problems. 

A federal judge has set deadlines for moving the case forward later this year. 

The FDA  is not required by U.S. law to approve cosmetic products or their ingredients before they are sold, other than certain additives.

More information

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) has more on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.

SOURCE: NBC News, news release, Jan. 22, 2025