DAPHNE NGUYEN,
PRESIDENT OF CLEAN BEAUTY ACTION NETWORK, URGES FDA COMMISSIONER TO
TAKE ACTION NOW TO BAN TOXIC HAIR RELAXERS CONTAINING
FORMALDEHYDE
SAN
JOSE, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Daphne Nguyen,
founder and president of the Clean Beauty Action Network (CBAN),
has issued an Open Letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf urging him to take action on the
agency's promise to ban toxic hair relaxers:
Youth leader Daphne
Nguyen urges the FDA to ban toxic formaldehyde in hair
relaxers -- "cancer doesn't wait."
Open Letter to FDA Commissioner Robert
Califf, MD:
Dear Commissioner Califf,
I'm writing to ask you to immediately prioritize the FDA
rule-making process on the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers.
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and there is supposed to be a
proposed rule in the works to ban this chemical from these
products.
The title and abstract for the intended rule are listed on
Reginfo.gov under Regulation Identifier Number
(RIN) #0910-AI83, "Use of Formaldehyde and
Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as an Ingredient in Hair Smoothing
Products or Hair Straightening Products".
In October 2023, the New York Times reported that the text of the
proposed rule would be forthcoming this spring. There was a lot of
good press about this impending development, but for some reason,
the proposed rule is languishing. In fact, the draft rule was
supposed to be published in April with a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking "(NPRM for 04/00/24)". This would have begun a process
of public comment that would then lead to a timeline for further
review leading to publication of a final rule. However, April has
now come and gone, and apparently the rulemaking process is going
nowhere. Legal experts in the FDA field say that it's unlikely to
even happen this calendar year.
The big picture here is that most consumers don't know that the
cosmetics and beauty products we use don't have to be verified as
safe. People are rightly shocked and appalled that our personal
care products contain formaldehyde, asbestos and other toxic
chemicals and carcinogens. It makes no sense that products we trust
to apply to our bodies do not need to be tested and verified as
safe. Instead, they go through protracted proceedings like
this.
I'm writing to you as the founder and president of the Clean
Beauty Action Network. CBAN is a grassroots, youth-led, nonprofit
organization that empowers our generation to lead the charge in
transforming the cosmetics industry into a safer, greener, and more
ethical landscape through scientific research, public education,
and advocacy. Our mission is to promote clean beauty – safe
for people, and safe for the planet.
Commissioner Califf, as a medical doctor, we expect that you are
aware of the health risks of formaldehyde exposure, but you might
be unaware of the delays in this rulemaking. Unfortunately, there's
no pause button on cancer, so please would you use your position
now to unpause this bureaucratic delay.
Your leadership can reshape the future of beauty products for
generations to come.
Sincerely,
Daphne Nguyen
President/Founder
Clean Beauty Action Network
https://www.cleanbeautyaction.org/
Works Cited for this Letter are posted on the CBAN website.
Regarding the Open Letter, CBAN advisor Professor Claudia Polsky, Director of the Environmental
Law Clinic at UC Berkeley Law School, says: "When, as a state
Deputy Attorney General, I filed suit against the manufacturer of
Brazilian Blowout in 2010 for the acute harm its products were
causing to hair stylists and product users, the hazards of
formaldehyde-releasing hair straighteners became national news and
the subject of a congressional oversight hearing. I am dismayed
that a dozen years later, the FDA has still not banned this
toxic chemistry. I commend CBAN for advancing the issue anew;
we need new voices and a new generation of leadership to mobilize
around the imperative of safe cosmetics."
CBAN founder and president Ms. Nguyen says, "I founded CBAN to
raise awareness about the underregulated cosmetics industry and
advocate for clean beauty products. My generation cares deeply
about the safety of people and the planet, and we will continue to
advocate for a green future, based on green chemistry, for
everyone."
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SOURCE Clean Beauty Action Network