The Washington State Department of Ecology has published a draft regulation that, if passed, will ban some 28 formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in beauty and personal care manufactured, sold or distributed in the state from 2027.

Officials said the new proposal is an effort to increase protection for human health and the environment. “I’m really passionate about getting toxic chemicals out of products before they even reach consumers, so that we don’t all have to study ingredient labels to know that we’re selecting safer products,” said Shari Franjevic, an environmental planner with the Washington State Department of Ecology.

US Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Shontel Brown and Nydia Veazquez have sent an open letter to the FDA calling for a ban on formaldehyde in hair straighteners and questioning the regulatory body’s inaction on this issue.

The letter emphasized the chemical’s connection to an increased risk for uterine cancer as well as the fact that these hair products are primarily marketed to Black women.

The FDA set a notice of proposed rulemaking date for April 2024, which has since come and gone, leaving policymakers and clinicians stumped at the lack of action.

In October 2023, the FDA proposed a ban on the use of formaldehyde and other formaldehyde-releasing chemicals as ingredients in hair smoothing or hair straightening products marketed in the U.S.