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BEAUTY JUSTICE
Empowerment, Education, and Early Detection
Our Mission
Black Women for Wellness Beauty Justice Initiative is dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of Black women and girls by addressing systemic inequities in the beauty industry. We advocate for regulating harmful chemicals in beauty products, educate our community about the risks associated with toxic exposures, and empower individuals to make informed choices. Through collaboration, policy change, and awareness campaigns, we strive to create a safer, more equitable beauty industry that respects and prioritizes the health of Black women and their families.
Natural Evolutions
One Hair Story
A compilation of results, cultural insights, health, and research around Black women’s hair and health.
Report updated August 2023.
DOWNLOAD NATURAL EVOLUTIONS REPORT
Breast Health Self Care
Environmental Justice: Beauty Justice
Black women are overexposed and under-protected in the world of beauty.
Due to euro-centric beauty standards, poor government regulation, and systemic racism, Black women are sold products with ingredients that are harmful to reproductive and respiratory health.
This is called the environmental injustice of beauty, and it is even more severe for beauty industry professionals who work with dangerous ingredients in products everyday. We deserve better!
We host Curls & Conversations events to shine a light on this issue and to educate about healthy hair.
We conduct community-based research with partners like Occidental College and Silent Spring Institute to better understand this problem and create solutions.
We work directly with hairstylists and barbers to advocate on their behalf, listen to, and address health concerns.
We develop breast health education to promote awareness of the links between toxic beauty products and the breast cancer disparities faced by Black women, and to offer safer beauty tips.
Black Hair Care Survey
Read Black Women for Wellness and Occidental College’s report on attitudes surrounding clean beauty in our communities.
DOWNLOAD THE BLACK HAIR CARE REPORT
Exposed: Ingredients in Salon Products & Salon Worker Health and Safety
- This report spotlights how new ingredient disclosure requirements for professional salon products are providing improved and vital information about chemical exposure from the use of these products. The report reveals over 30 hazardous ingredients in professional salon products that have not been disclosed on product labels – until now!
- Download the report here – a Spanish translation is available also.
- There is also a fact sheet highlighting the toxic chemicals in salon products identified in this report, available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Reports:
- Exposed: Ingredients in Salon Products & Salon Worker Health and Safety »
- Spanish Translation »
- Fact sheet spotlighting toxic chemicals in salon products identified in this report is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Beauty Justice Resources for You
Check out these resources to help keep you and your family safe.
Johnson & Johnson
Black Women for Wellness has led the charge against Johnson & Johnson to force them to stop selling their asbestos-contaminated talc baby powder.
In August 2022, after years of advocacy, Johnson & Johnson announced that they will stop selling their talc-based baby powder globally! Read more here.
A Timeline:
- 1970s and beyond: Johnson & Johnson (J&J) sold asbestos-containing talc in its baby powder and targeted Black women in advertising. There is evidence that J&J has been fully aware of the asbestos contamination since the 1970s.
- May 2020: J&J stopped selling the talc-based baby powder in the US – citing a drop in demand. They continued to do so globally.
- Summer 2020: After George Floyd’s murder, J&J put out a statement in solidarity with BLM. In response, BWW sent a letter to the CEO demanding J&J halt global sales of talc-based baby powder. BWW also issued a press release with over 170 supporting organizations.
- Summer 2020: J&J responded to the request with a non-answer.
- August 2021: 200 organizations from 51 countries signed onto a letter written by BWW asking J&J to stop selling its baby powder products globally.
- October 2021: J&J continued to sell and market talc-based baby powder in the U.S. This is shown in a Worldwide Research Brief for Black Women for Wellness.
- February 2022: Despite there being over 38,000 active lawsuits against J&J related to asbestos in their talc-based baby powder, J&J denied wrongdoing and won a court battle to proceed with its plan to shield itself from responsibility and deny thousands of people due process.
- Spring 2022: Black Women for Wellness, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Women’s Voices for the Earth, WE Act for Environmental Justice, and Until Justice Data Partners led an effort to push for J&J shareholders to vote in favor of two resolutions – one for them to conduct an internal racial justice audit, and one for them to cease global sales of talc-based baby powder. The first was voted in favor, but the latter was not.
- Spring 2022: This video was banned from being shown to shareholders about J&J’s harms.
- August 2022: J&J announced a plan to stop selling talc-based baby powder globally.
