SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In another victory for the safer cosmetics movement, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law banning the sale of cosmetics that contain any of 26 toxic chemicals.
The new law marks a significant milestone in the state’s ongoing efforts to promote consumer safety and protect the health of Californians.
Championed by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), the law will improve the safety of personal care products by banning hazardous substances such as borate compounds, lily aldehyde, cyclotetrasiloxane, trichloroacetic acid, styrene, and certain colors.
“Personal care products and cosmetics should be non-toxic for everyone,’ said Friedman. “Every day, Californians use soaps, shampoos, makeup and other personal care products without realizing that those products could contain chemicals that present serious health risks.
“The European Union prohibits almost 2,000 chemicals in such products, so this ban on noxious carcinogens and endocrine disruptors is long overdue. I will continue to fight for cleaner, healthier, and environmentally safer products,” she said.
The Environmental Working Group sponsored the legislation.
‘Builds on progress’
"Californians should be able to trust the safety of products they apply to their hair and skin every day,” said Susan Little, a senior advocate for California government affairs at EWG. “Consumers shouldn’t have to worry that they’re putting their health, or the health of their loved ones, at risk by doing something as routine as applying lotion, or wearing makeup.
“This law builds on the progress we have already made and bans more harmful chemicals from these products,” she said.
“Thank you, Gov. Newsom, for signing this legislation into law, and thank you, Assemblymember Friedman, for authoring it,” she added.
Chemical health risks
The law aims to safeguard the health of Californians by aligning with the stringent scientific criteria for chemical regulation established by the EU, prohibiting substances already banned in cosmetics and personal care products sold there.
Many of the 26 chemicals listed in the new law have been linked to various health problems, including a higher risk of cancer, genetic defects, harm to the developing fetus, impaired fertility, severe skin burns and damage to organs or eyes, as well as significant and long-lasting toxicity to aquatic life.
This action follows California’s prior leadership in personal care product safety, building on the landmark Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act of 2020, which banned 24 chemicals from use in such products. In 2023, the state also prohibited the use in cosmetics of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in cosmetics.
Now 26 more harmful chemicals will be added to the list of substances banned under the earlier toxic-free cosmetics law.
“We must remove toxic chemicals from the products we apply to our bodies,” said Melanie Benesh, EWG vice president of government affairs. “In the absence of comprehensive federal protection, it falls on states to step up and ensure these harmful substances are absent from our daily routines.”
California has long been considered a bellwether state, leading the way for the rest of the country in setting the standard for health and safety regulations. Manufacturers adhering to California’s rigorous standards are likely to extend the same high standards to products distributed throughout the U.S.
###
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
