Beauty or death? New study exposes shocking chemical risk in makeup

Time of India

27-05-2025

credit: canva
The beauty and personal care industry, which is typically synonymous with self-care and wellness, has been put into question about a much darker truth: toxicity in plain sight. A newly published study, revealed by The Washington Post, has again drawn attention to the use of formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen, in day-to-day cosmetics.
The results indicate extensive and potentially unsafe exposure, particularly among Black women, as bodies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are charged with being in slow motion.
The "toxic" reality: Formaldehyde in everyday makeup
credit: canva
Formaldehyde, the chemical most commonly associated with embalming fluids and industrial manufacturing, is also a preservative ingredient in nearly all personal care products. It is added directly to products or released slowly over time by some preservatives.
Researchers have been sounding alarms about the chemical hazard for years in hair straighteners and nail treatments, but this new research broadens the threat to a much larger list of products: lotions, body washes, conditioners, and face creams.
These consumer products, under the research, tend to be advertised to Black women, and that is a warning sign of targeted marketing and environmental racism.
Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde can result in a host of severe health hazards such as skin irritation, respiratory disease, and, most importantly, the deadly disease of all, cancer.
Coupled to this risk is chronic and repeated use, particularly among individuals with high dependency on such products as a result of societal and cultural beauty expectations.
Public backlash
The FDA issued a much-delayed proposal in 2023 to ban the
use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers
, citing increasing evidence of the danger. Even though the situation was urgent, however, the agency did not meet its April 2024 deadline to enforce the ban. Not only did this delay invite criticism from health advocates and watchdog organisations, but it also eroded the public's trust in regulatory enforcement.
When asked for comment on the extended deadline, the FDA declined to comment. The silence has been read as increasing frustration on the part of consumers and public health professionals alike that corporate interests and bureaucratic delay are taking precedence over community health and safety.
Disproportionate impact on black communities
This is not only a matter of public health, it is one of justice. Black women, statistically more than whites because of social pressures and notions of beauty, consume more hair and skin products with attendant chemical exposures.
Allowing these toxic products to be marketed to communities of colour is a trend of environmental injustice.
Experts blame systemic regulatory loopholes, study bias, and corporate accountability as some of the causes of why such communities are always under threat. Beauty communities that campaign for safer beauty standards are demanding not only a ban on formaldehyde but also greater disclosure in ingredient labels and stricter testing for all cosmetics.
Why does this issue matter so much?
credit: canva
Every time we use a product and apply it to our face, hair, and body, we do it to look good or presentable. But what if that product does the opposite? This issue matters because it uncovers a deep-rooted intersection of public health, racial injustice and regulatory failure in the beauty industry, which is personal to people, especially women. This is a now-or-never moment for both industry reforms and societal reckoning.
What remains to be seen is will the stakeholders and policy regulators act before it's too late?
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