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In the US we have two entities that really control policy surrounding chemical exposure: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Through OSHA we will look at worker interactions with specifically the chemical formaldehyde, which is found in many hair relaxing products. As a note: formaldehyde is not always an active ingredient, but other ingredients can cause formaldehyde to be released when the product is heated.11 To keep it simple, I will focus on formaldehyde however: ”U.S. law does not require the FDA to approve cosmetic products and ingredients, other than food additives, before they go on the market…”12 There are many other ingredients unregulated for human health in cosmetics leaving salon workers and consumers at risk.
Specifically OSHA is responsible for employee safety. I have talked about the disconnection between policy and hair before in my article Black Hair and Climbing. Specifically, worker protections such as rocking natural hair styles in the workplace are still not law in all states even though the Crown Act is hard at work pushing it to be so. But in this case we are looking at policy to protect the worker who is giving people blow outs and chemical straighteners. Their customers are most likely the ones who may feel they would not be protected at work with their natural hair (which is a legitimate concern).
Since I do have an article planned for worker rights and safety through the lens of climbing, I will not be going into depth with OSHA and people of color. The takeaway here is that currently there are regulations in place for salon and beauty school employees that stipulate the amount of formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing agents one can be exposed to…
Read/watch/listen to the rest of this journey on my Substack
