Recommendations

Recommendations

Sally Beauty lags behind many of its competitors in developing and implementing safer chemicals policies. This analysis demonstrates that Sally Beauty has the tools it needs to identify and stop selling products containing formaldehyde releasers and siloxanes. These ingredients are clearly disclosed on product labels and Sally Beauty’s website. To comply with coming regulations, Sally Beauty will be required to do just this for some of its customers. To equitably fulfill its commitment to developing new ways to meet the needs of its diverse customer base, Sally Beauty should implement these changes nationwide.

Washington state will restrict formaldehyde releasers in beauty and personal care products, including all hair products, as of January 2027.⁸ Sally Beauty has 47 stores in Washington, as well as online sales. 

Meanwhile, 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 2026.⁹ Sally Beauty operates stores in the European Union, specifically in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain, in addition to its online platform.¹⁰

Sally Beauty should: 

• Restrict the sale of products containing formaldehyde releasers and the siloxanes D4, D5, and D6 in all of its stores and online sales, not just where required by law. Continuing to sell these products where not restricted by law would raise serious questions about the company’s commitment to protecting customer health.
• Adopt and implement a comprehensive safer chemicals policy that identifies chemical ingredients in products, assesses their hazard through ingredient intelligence reports, restricts highly hazardous ingredients, and promotes safer solutions—starting with restricting formaldehyde releasers and siloxanes.
• Join the Know Better Do Better Collaborative with Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Credo, Counter, and other leading beauty companies to advance the use of safer chemistry and improve access to chemical hazard data to enable informed decision-making.