Latest consumer reports on products marketed to Black women come back with disappointing results across the board.
If you’re considering revamping the product range on your bathroom shelf, you may want to start by just throwing the whole thing away.
A new study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with the Black-founded all-natural online marketplace BLK + GRN has found well over 3,000, or nearly 80%, of personal care items marketed toward Black women contain at least one toxic ingredient.
“I think most people believe if something made it into the store, it must be safe. That’s just not true,” BLK + GRN founder Kristian Edwards said in a recent video about the report.
EWG senior scientist Alexa Friedman told theGrio over email in order to produce this latest report, the public health advocacy group conducted in-store data collection and online research from December 2023 through August 2024 and worked alongside BLK + GRN to identify 4,011 products marketed to Black women containing toxic chemicals.
“Everybody deserves access to safe products,” Friedman wrote. “The goal of the report was to equip consumers with knowledge about the chemicals in their personal care products.”
Friedman highlighted some of the most harmful product ingredients found, including formaldehyde releasers, isothiazolinones, and undisclosed fragrances. She explained that formaldehyde-releasing preservatives can cause skin reactions and ultimately expose consumers to formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Meanwhile, undisclosed fragrances, Friedman noted, can be any one of 300 different potentially hazardous ingredients with cancer and reproductive health concerns. Products with semi-permanent results, like relaxers and hair dye, remain of high concern.
After a first glance at the list, many consumers may rush to toss out their whole potentially cancer-causing shelf. However, Edwards noted in the video this list isn’t meant to cause “fearmongering.”
Friedman further noted to theGrio, “A total overhaul of your beauty routine is not practical for most people.”
Understanding that, she suggested making trade-offs. If there’s a high-hazard product you absolutely cannot bear to part with — a leave-in conditioner with results you’ve taken years to find, or a sunscreen that has mitigated your hyperpigmentation — give up something else with a high-hazard that your routine is less dependent upon.
“Black women often find themselves between a rock and a hard place,” Edwards continued. “In order to conform, they have to use these products with all of these toxic ingredients in them.”
Launched in 2004, EWG’s Skin Deep database takes some of the hard work out of the process for consumers. The online resource includes scores of products rated based on their ingredients, safety, and regulatory information.
The latest study, released in February, is an update to a 2016 EWG study that sought to see if there has been any meaningful change in the toxicity of products with specific demographic markings. In 2016, the report analyzed a little over 1,000 products. Despite finding nearly 80% of products marketed toward Black women still contain at least one toxic ingredient, Friedman confirmed there has been some improvement in just under a decade; however, the toxicity persists.
“We hope that the release of this report highlights the continued need for beauty justice for Black women, which requires both consumer awareness and systemic change,” Friedman told theGrio. “By leveraging resources such as EWG’s Skin Deep database and advocating for stricter regulatory standards and enforcement, it is possible to reduce exposure to harmful personal care product chemicals and work toward a more equitable beauty industry.”
The report also arrives as another one related to Black personal care is making headlines. Last month, Consumer Reports found that 10 of the most popular synthetic hair brands contain toxic chemicals.
Friedman says the path forward should “prioritize continued research, better safety standards, and increased transparency from manufacturers, ultimately fostering a marketplace where Black women can confidently choose products without the added burden of disparate exposures and health outcomes.”
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