Over 900 Toxic Chemicals & 48 Health Risks In Hair Extensions Are Putting Black Women at Risk

For Black women and girls, hair extensions are far more than a style choice,  they are a cultural staple. Yet a disturbing new study from the Silent Spring Institute reveals that these everyday products may be quietly poisoning the very people who rely on them most.

Research scientist Elissia Franklin led the study, which tested a wide range of hair extensions,  from synthetic braiding hair to human hair weaves, clip-ins, sew-ins, and even eyelash extensions. The results were alarming. Researchers "found over 900 chemicals in total" across all samples tested, ultimately identifying "48 chemicals of health concern." Among them were multiple phthalates,  known hormone disruptors "associated with things like reproductive issues or infertility and birth defects," a particularly grave threat given that many users include young girls whose bodies are still developing.

Even more troubling was the discovery of organotin compounds, a category of chemicals not typically found in consumer products. Franklin noted these "stood out" precisely because of their unusual presence in something so intimately used: "it's sitting on your scalp, it's on your neck." These compounds have been linked to cancer and endocrine disruption.

The danger is not marginal. Approximately 70% of Black women in the U.S. wear some form of hair extension at least once a year, making this a community-wide public health crisis hiding in plain sight. Black women have already raised concerns about synthetic braiding hair, particularly products labeled "flame retardant," chemicals long associated with serious health outcomes.

Compounding the danger is a near-total absence of regulation. Franklin confirmed that "there is no requirement for these hair extensions to have any labeling" disclosing their chemical contents. Even "nontoxic" labeling offers little reassurance since, as Franklin cautioned, "that label is not regulated."

Rinsing extensions beforehand may offer some relief, and truly nontoxic-labeled products showed lower hazard levels in the study,  but neither solution is guaranteed. Until meaningful regulation arrives, Black women and girls remain disproportionately exposed, with little power to protect themselves from products they've trusted for generations.

Link: NPR