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With the beauty industry constantly churning out new products along with the ones that have stayed on many of our shelves for years, it’s not always easy to pick the ones that are safest for our skin.
An alarming 2025 study by the peer reviewed journal “Environmental Science and Technology Letters,” reveals that numerous cosmetic items used by Black and Latina women regularly contain cancer-causing chemicals, including formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a chemical linked to uterine cancer and myeloid leukemia. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) warn against both longterm and short-term exposure.
Of 64 women in Los Angeles, the study revealed that that 53% reported using lotion, shampoo, conditioner, skin lightener, soap, eyeliner, eyelash glue and other cosmetics made with formaldehyde and preservatives that release the toxic chemical.
The study focused on Black and Latina women, specifically testing chemical hair relaxers, leave-in conditioners, body wash, etc. used by that demographic.
How This Reflects Racism In The Beauty Industry
Beauty standards in the United States (and many other countries) typically favor European features while discriminating against dark skin, coarse hair and other features of Black and Latina women.
This discrimination has prompted women of color to alter natural features, often including chemical hair straightening, skin lightening creams and other risky products.
Without strict regulations in America, there is little to no oversight to protect the communities that need it the most. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) restricts formaldehyde and other lethal ingredients in consumer products.
Moreover, the more affordable and accessible products in drug stores are often the ones containing these lethal ingredients. Fast beauty, consumerism and favoritism toward white beauty standards are increasing the cancer rates for Black and Latina women.
Choosing Safer Products
Knowing the risks that certain products pose is only part of the battle when avoiding cancer-causing ingredients in our cosmetics.
It’s key to understand how to classify and avoid products with dangerous ingredients and have suitable alternatives lined up. After all, this isn’t about ditching our favorites beauty products—it’s about choosing the best ones.
Here are our recommendations on how to choose safer cosmetics.
Consult the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics not only has a red list of products containing dangerous ingredients, the non-profit organization also has environmental injustice initiatives that focus on Black beauty products. This includes an entire database of non-toxic Black-owned beauty products and list of brands.
They also have a curated safe cosmetics guide for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Try the Mobile Apps Skin Deep and Clearya
Skin Deep, an app created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), helps users detect the health risks that certain ingredients in cosmetics pose. Clearya, works similarly, allowing users to scan the barcodes of products before purchasing while even suggesting better options.
Opt For Clean Beauty
While this one may seem obvious to some, understanding what exactly constitutes as “clean beauty” can often be tricky. There are so many brands advertising that they’re “paraben-free” or made with fresh ingredients (and then secretly containing a bunch of junk). It can be hard to trust any products.
Luckily, there are some safe options that are tried and true. Here at Hello Gurl, we’re huge fans of Korean beauty (K-beauty) because many of the brands say they are all natural–and actually are! Plus, K-beauty typically avoids chemical exfoliants or any other harsh ingredients used more often in America. Here are some of our favorite options!
Brands we like also include e.l.f Cosmetics, Rare Beauty, Polite Society, Shea Moisture, Tower 28, Black Girl Sunscreen and Nuele.
