U.S. Lawmakers Unveil Safer Beauty Bill Package to Ban Toxic Ingredients and Protect Vulnerable Communities

THE WHAT? A group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced the Safer Beauty Bill Package, a set of four federal bills designed to eliminate hazardous chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products, strengthen ingredient transparency, and protect women of color and salon workers from disproportionate toxic exposures.

THE DETAILS  Led by Representative Jan Schakowsky and co-sponsored by Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Doris Matsui, and Ayanna Pressley, the Safer Beauty Bill Package includes:

  • Toxic-Free Beauty Act: Bans 18 high-risk chemicals (including lead, formaldehyde, and mercury) and two entire chemical classes from cosmetics.

  • Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color & Salon Workers: Directs the FDA to regulate synthetic hair products and allocates US$30 million to fund research and public education.

  • Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act: Requires full disclosure of hazardous fragrance and flavor ingredients.

  • Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act: Demands safety data sharing across the entire supply chain to boost accountability.

The initiative follows the 2022 MoCRA legislation, which gave the FDA new authority but fell short on banning specific ingredients. Despite growing health concerns and global reform, the U.S. still permits thousands of chemicals already banned in the EU. The bill package has earned support from over 150 advocacy organizations and clean beauty brands including Dr. Bronner’s, Sienna Naturals, and Innersense Organic Beauty.

THE WHY? Mounting scientific evidence links cosmetic ingredients to serious health issues—particularly among women of color and salon professionals, who face greater exposure. With breast cancer, reproductive harm, and hormone disruption on the rise, and the U.S. far behind global regulatory standards, lawmakers argue that federal intervention is long overdue. This legislation seeks to close critical safety gaps left by MoCRA, protect public health, and deliver long-demanded transparency and ingredient accountability to the beauty industry.

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