In a first-of-its-kind pilot project, Washington state is recognizing products with the EWG Verified mark in its Safer Salons Partnership, which reimburses hair stylists, barbers, and small salon businesses for switching to safer beauty products.
The program, led by Washington’s Department of Ecology, says EWG Verified meets the criteria for the highest reimbursement level. The mark is used on products that don’t have harmful chemicals that cause health hazards. More than 2,700 products have earned the EWG Verified mark.
“EWG is proud to be recognized by Washington State’s Safer Salons Partnership,” Clive Davies, vice president of EWG Verified, said in a statement.
Washington state is putting safer product choice in the hands of the workers who need it most, with the money on the table to help make it happen, Davies said, adding the state is sending a clear message to manufacturers that safer products is are preferred.
Protecting the workers most at risk
Salon workers face some of the highest occupational exposures to toxic chemicals in the beauty industry, said Lauren Sweet Duffy, Ph.D., senior director of EWG Verified.
Hair straighteners, dyes, and styling products can contain formaldehyde, phthalates, and other chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive toxicity. Unlike consumers, salon workers breathe them in and absorb them through their skin for hours at a time every working day.
“For too long, we’ve expected salon workers to deliver high-performance results without assurance that the products they use are safe,” Duffy said.
When a stylist sees the EWG Verified mark, it means the product has been rigorously reviewed, meets high standards for ingredient safety and transparency, and is free from the hidden chemicals that have put salon workers’ health at risk for decades, she said.
Washington targets toxic cosmetics
Washington’s Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, or TCA, adopted in 2023, is a model for cosmetic ingredient reform. The law bans a broad range of harmful chemicals from cosmetic products sold or distributed in the state and also offers financial support for small businesses.
The European Union and other countries have banned or limited more than 1,600 chemicals from personal care products while the United States prohibits only nine for safety reasons.
States have stepped in to ban dozens of other chemicals. Washington’s Department of Ecology recently finalized a new rule under its TCA that will ban formaldehyde and 25 formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from cosmetic products beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen often used in hair-smoothing treatments and also linked to respiratory disease and skin sensitization. These risks fall most heavily on the salon workers who apply these products daily.
The state is piloting the Safer Salons Partnership with several Washington salon professionals and barbershops. In addition to EWG Verified products, some other beauty products are eligible for the program.
A directory of EWG Verified products eligible for reimbursement during the pilot is available at ewg.org/ewgverified. More information about the Safer Salons Partnership is available at ecology.wa.gov/safer-salons.
