Study finds many “clean” products for textured hair still risky ^{CEFR B2}

The study evaluates whether the growing "clean beauty" movement actually delivers safer options for people who use textured-hair products. Led by UC Santa Barbara and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with partners Black Women for Wellness and Silent Spring Institute, the research used a Target store in South Los Angeles as a field case. The team web-scraped ingredient lists for 150 products labeled "Target Clean" and assessed them against the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database to measure potential human-health hazards.

Findings showed a wide spectrum from relatively safe to highly hazardous formulations, with the majority clustering in a moderate-hazard range. As lead author Joaquín Madrid Larrañaga noted, the label "clean" often functions as marketing rather than a safety guarantee. The analysis flagged that 70% of products listed "fragrance" or "parfum", a term that can conceal a mix of undisclosed chemicals. Only 41% of the sampled products matched entries in the EWG database; of those, over 90% received moderate hazard scores (3–6).

Labeling problems were also apparent: 14.6% of products contained sulfates, yet roughly half of items carried the retailer's "Formulated without Sulfates" badge, producing inconsistent information for shoppers. The focus on textured hair matters because these products are used disproportionately by women of color, who already face higher exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Coauthor Lariah Edwards warned that Black women may still encounter toxic ingredients when choosing "clean" products, and Janette Robinson-Flint of Black Women for Wellness urged enforceable regulation.

Senior author Bhavna Shamasunder emphasized that the issue goes beyond retailer policy to manufacturing practices and gaps in federal regulation. Until clear federal standards exist, the researchers advise avoiding fragrances/parfum, sulfates, parabens and phthalates. Additional coauthors are affiliated with UC Santa Barbara, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Silent Spring Institute and Black Women for Wellness. The work received support from the Rose Foundation Consumer Products Funding Board, the California Breast Cancer Research Program, the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, the Passport Foundation and the Forsythia Foundation.