A mom stands in the hair aisle at Sally Beauty looking for products for her daughter’s curls. She reads the labels. She’s careful. She wants what’s best.
What she doesn’t know is that many of the products, marketed primarily to Black women for textured hair, quietly contain toxic chemicals.
Toxic-Free Future conducted a review of ingredients in hair products primarily marketed to Black and brown people and sold by Sally Beauty.
In examining the labels of 577 textured hair products marketed for curly (Type 3) or coily (Type 4) hair on the Sally Beauty website, we found something concerning: 17 percent contained chemicals that release formaldehyde and/or the siloxanes D4, D5, or D6. Nearly one in eight contained chemicals that release formaldehyde, a cancer-causing substance. Likewise, one in 14 contained siloxanes that are linked to cancer risk.
Women of color’s health at risk
Communities of color are at greater risk to be disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals from cosmetics. According to a peer-reviewed study, Black consumers purchase nine times more hair and beauty products than non-Blacks and disproportionately purchase hair relaxers and straighteners. This exposure adds up.
Toxic chemicals in cosmetics, including hair products, are associated with numerous health concerns, from cancer to respiratory problems. Women who regularly use hair straighteners and products such as dye face increased risk. For example:
- Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that regular use of hair dye by Black women resulted in a 60% increased risk of breast cancer.
- A 2022 study found an increased risk of uterine cancer in women who used hair straightening products.
High use of these products by Black and brown women is in part due to racialized beauty norms that perpetuate a Eurocentric standard of beauty. With this Eurocentric standard, straight hair communicates that a woman is more beautiful, wealthier, and more professional than one with natural texturized hair. Furthermore, a 2025 study discussing barriers to accessing safer hair products highlighted that Black women experience issues finding high-quality and low-cost natural hair products in their neighborhoods.
Retailers like Sally Beauty have a responsibility to know what is in the products they sell and to stop selling products that may put their customers at risk. Because evidence shows that the hair products marketed to Black and brown women contain a disparately high number of toxic chemicals, these products merit special attention.
What we found: Chemicals that release formaldehyde
Formaldehyde releasers were listed as ingredients in 68 of 577, or 12 percent, of the hair products reviewed. Formaldehyde releasers may be used in products to straighten hair or smooth curls. Formaldehyde is also a known human carcinogen, identified as a cause of a rare type of throat cancer, and linked to leukemia. It also irritates the eyes, nose, and throat, and can cause contact dermatitis, which is an itchy skin rash from contact with an irritating substance. Formaldehyde exposure can also worsen breathing for people with asthma.
Sally Beauty has all the tools it needs to remove formaldehyde releasers from store shelves. Washington state is set to restrict formaldehyde releasers in beauty and personal care products, including all hair products, as of January 1, 2027. In order to comply with the law, Sally Beauty needs to track which products contain formaldehyde releasers. The company should remove these toxic products from all its stores and online retail, not just the 47 stores it operates in Washington.
What we found: Chemicals banned in Europe found in products sold at Sally Beauty
Siloxanes, specifically D4, D5, and D6, were listed as ingredients in 41 of 577, or seven percent, of the hair products reviewed. Three siloxanes most commonly found in beauty and personal care products, D4, D5, and D6, are linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, and liver toxicity.
The European Union has prohibited D4 in all cosmetic products since 2019, and D5 in wash-off cosmetic products like shampoos since 2020. A restriction on D4, D5, and D6 in leave-on cosmetics, including hair styling products, will take effect in June 2026. Sally Beauty operates stores in the European Union, specifically in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. Assuming it is compliant with the EU bans on siloxanes, it has likely been tracking which of its products contain them for a number of years.
A moment for health-first leadership
Sally Beauty says it is committed to serving a diverse customer base in communities across the country. It highlights products for all hair types, profiles Black founders, and speaks openly about inclusion.
But what about putting the health of its customers first?
WE ACT’s research reveals that women of color are disproportionately impacted by the toxic ingredients found in many personal care products. The fact that products with known toxic chemicals are available in its stores and on its website undermines Sally Beauty’s claim to “manage its environmental impact” and “take care of the communities” in which it operates.
For the last five editions of Mind the Store’s Retailer Report Card, Sally Beauty has earned a failing grade, due to its failure to implement a chemicals policy that puts the health of its customers first. This review demonstrates the stark result: products on Sally Beauty’s shelves contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and respiratory harm.
At the same time, new regulations are taking effect around the world. The European Union is moving to restrict the siloxanes D4, D5, and D6 in cosmetics. Washington state is restricting formaldehyde releasers, and siloxanes are likely to be next. Other states, including New York, Colorado, California, Oregon, and Vermont, have either passed or are considering bills that restrict the use of toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasers, and certain siloxanes in cosmetics and personal products. These restrictions will require Sally Beauty to identify which products contain these hazardous chemicals, build the systems to track them, and avoid selling products containing the banned chemicals in jurisdictions where they are prohibited.
All of Sally Beauty’s customers, regardless of where they live, deserve to be protected from formaldehyde and siloxanes.
Sally Beauty can choose to lead or do the minimum required by law.
Will Sally Beauty Mind the Store?
Other major retailers, from Sephora and Ulta Beauty to Target and Walmart, have launched safer chemicals policies to phase out toxic ingredients in beauty and personal care products. Sephora, and Ulta Beauty, along with beauty companies like Credo and Counter, have joined ChemFORWARD to form the Know Better Do Better Collaborative, an initiative to advance the use of safer chemistry and improve access to chemical hazard data to enable informed decision-making. The Collaborative has published two ingredient intelligence reports for the beauty sector, identifying chemicals of concern, safer chemicals, and chemicals for which there is no data. Meanwhile, Sally Beauty lags behind, posing increasing reputational and regulatory risks to the company.
Sally Beauty should take this opportunity to extend restrictions for formaldehyde releasers and siloxanes in all its stores and online, not just where required. Were Sally Beauty to knowingly sell products with these toxic chemicals in jurisdictions where no legal barrier exists, it would contradict the company’s stated core values of inclusion and care for its customers.
To align with its core values and future-proof its business, we strongly encourage Sally Beauty to adopt and implement a safer chemicals policy that identifies chemical ingredients in products, assesses their hazard, restricts highly hazardous ingredients, and promotes safer solutions—starting with restricting formaldehyde releasers and siloxanes.
With more than 3,700 stores worldwide and billions in annual revenue, Sally Beauty has the size and market share to drive the market. The company has the opportunity to use this market power to shift the beauty and personal care industry away from ingredients linked to cancer and to safer solutions that truly support the health and wellbeing of customers.
No one should have to risk their health to care of their hair. Take action—tell Sally Beauty to remove chemicals linked to cancer from hair products!
Collection and analysis of data from the Sally Beauty website was a collaborative effort of Toxic-Free Future and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, with further analysis on hair products by Toxic-Free Future. Hazard information was derived from the Chemical Hazard Data Trust managed by ChemFORWARD.
Jordana Vanderselt, MPH, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Director of Government and Market Policy
Cheri Peele joined Toxic-Free Future in 2022 to play a leadership role in both the Retailer Report Card and public policy advocacy. She has worked for over 20 years to create and implement leadership strategies for the transition to safer chemicals.
