Beauty Justice: Why Black Girls Deserve Safer Products and What We Can Do About It

Let’s Start With the Truth

Black girls and women are being exposed to toxic beauty products at alarming rates. And please believe it’s not by accident. From relaxers to fragranced lotions, the products often marketed specifically to us are some of the most harmful on the shelves. The issue at hand is racism in beauty. And the answer is a call for beauty justice . Beauty justice specifies our right to safe, healthy products without compromise.

Beauty justice means making sure Black girls aren’t left out of the clean beauty conversation. It’s about access, safety, and accountability in an industry that profits off our pain while ignoring (or worse perpetuating the harm) our health. 

And the exposure hits hard and starts young.

This is about justice, health, and our right to safe products.

A light breakdown

Here are just some of the toxic ingredients in personal care products targeted to Black women and girls:

  • Formaldehyde: Found in hair relaxers and keratin treatments. Yes, the same chemical used to preserve dead bodies.

  • Phthalates: Hidden in “fragrance” on labels. Linked to hormone disruption.

  • Parabens: Common in moisturizers and makeup. Can mimic estrogen in the body.

  • Lye (sodium hydroxide): Used in many hair relaxers. Known to cause scalp burns and hair loss.

Product Categories to Watch:

  • Hair Relaxers: Often contain formaldehyde-releasing agents.

  • Hair Extensions/Glues: Adhesives may contain toluene or other solvents.

  • Makeup for Deeper Skin Tones: May include heavy metals like lead in certain lipsticks.

  • Scented Feminine Hygiene Products: Frequently contain phthalates and synthetic fragrances.

Many of the products most marketed to us often contain the most hazardous chemicals. At at this point the intention to cause harm is built into the beauty industry’s business model. 

How It Shows Up in Our Bodies

These products don’t just sit on your skin. Your skin is also an organ, and often these chemical ingredients seep into your body. 

Here’s how toxic beauty products impact Black women’s health:

  • Reproductive Health Issues: Higher rates of uterine fibroids have been linked to exposure to phthalates and parabens.

  • Hormone Disruption: Chemicals like BPA and triclosan interfere with the body’s endocrine system.

  • Cancer Risks: Studies suggest long-term use of certain relaxers may be linked to uterine and breast cancers.

  • Early Puberty: Black girls tend to experience puberty earlier, partly due to exposure to hormone disruptors in personal care products.

The danger isn’t always in one product - which is what the brands will tell you (‘but, but it’s a safe amount’. Yes, in one product. It’s no longer safe when I use 15 products with that ingredient all before walking out my door in the morning). No, the issue is also in the cumulative exposure over time. Daily use adds up. What seems like “just a little” becomes decades of invisible harm.

The Bigger System at Work

This is a case of racism in the beauty industry. The companies know who they’re marketing to, and they know what’s in these products.

  • Historical Targeting: The beauty industry has long exploited insecurities created by racism, pushing harmful products as solutions.

  • Unequal Regulation: Many of these ingredients are banned in other countries but remain legal in the U.S.

  • Ignored by Clean Beauty Movement: Most "clean beauty" brands center white consumers, with few safe options for darker skin tones and textured hair.

  • Economic Impact: We spend billions on beauty, yet we’re given the least protection.

Ways to Protect Yourself and Push Back

Here’s how to fight back:

Avoid these ingredients:

  • Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-)

  • Phthalates (often hidden as “fragrance”)

  • Formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15)

  • Triclosan

Use Tools That Help

Safer Alternatives

Keep the Energy Going

Beauty justice is a demand. Protecting ourselves means holding the industry accountable and refusing to accept harm as normal. We are not too much. We are not asking for too much. We are asking for what should’ve been guaranteed from the start.

You don’t have to be an expert to take a stand. You just have to decide that your body is worth protecting.

Take Action:


2025Hannah McCallbeauty justice, clean beauty for Black girls, hair straightener, braiding hair cemicals, clean beauty, black owned skincareComment