119-hr4436

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4436 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4436

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to cosmetic safety, 
 with an emphasis on communities of color and professional salon 
 workers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 16, 2025

 Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Ms. Pressley, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Evans of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Norton, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Tlaib, and Mrs. 
 Watson Coleman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee 
on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
 fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to cosmetic safety, 
 with an emphasis on communities of color and professional salon 
 workers, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Cosmetic Safety for Communities of 
Color and Professional Salon Workers Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

 The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.

Sec. 2. Table of contents.

Sec. 3. Research on health disparities impacting communities of color.

Sec. 4. Research on health concerns impacting professional nail, hair, 
 and beauty salon workers.

Sec. 5. Support for creating safer alternatives.

Sec. 6. National Resource Center on Beauty Justice.

Sec. 7. Translation of and access to safety data sheets.

Sec. 8. National Resource Center on Salon Worker Health and Safety.

Sec. 9. Food and Drug Administration regulation of synthetic braids.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON HEALTH DISPARITIES IMPACTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``

SEC. 399V-8. RESEARCH ON HEALTH DISPARITIES RELATED TO COSMETICS 
 IMPACTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

 ``

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
 ``

    (1) conduct, or award grants for, research, including 
 community-based participatory research, relating to 
 epidemiological, clinical, ecological, and social scientific 
 investigations into--
 ``
        (A) the chemicals that are linked to adverse 
 health effects and most commonly found in cosmetics 
 marketed to women and girls of color, including beauty, 
 personal hygiene, and intimate care products;
 ``
        (B) the use of cosmetics containing such 
 chemicals by women and girls of color across their 
 lifespans;
 ``
            (C) the specific adverse health effects 
 experienced by women and girls of color from exposure 
 to unsafe chemicals present in cosmetics used by them; 
 and
 ``
            (D) interventions that reduce exposure to, or 
 harm done by exposure to, unsafe chemicals present in 
 cosmetics used by women and girls of color; and
 ``

    (2) disseminate the results of the investigations 
 conducted or supported under paragraph

    (1) to help communities 
 of color identify and address potentially unsafe chemical 
 exposures in the use of cosmetics.
 ``

    (b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after awarding the first 
grant under subsection

    (a) , the Secretary shall make publicly available 
on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services and 
submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate a report on the results of the investigations 
conducted or supported under subsection

    (a) , including--
 ``

    (1) summary findings on--
 ``
        (A) marketing strategies, product categories, and 
 specific cosmetics containing chemicals linked to 
 adverse health effects; and
 ``
        (B) the demographics of the populations marketed 
 to and using these cosmetics; and
 ``

    (2) recommended public health information strategies to 
 reduce potentially unsafe exposures from cosmetics.
 ``
            (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection

    (a) , an eligible entity shall be any of the following:
 ``

    (1) An accredited institution of higher education.
 ``

    (2) A community-based organization.
 ``

    (3) A nongovernmental organization with expertise working 
 with communities of color.
 ``
            (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $7,500,000, for the period of 
fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year including the date of 
enactment of this section and running through the fifth fiscal year 
commencing after such date of enactment.''.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON HEALTH CONCERNS IMPACTING PROFESSIONAL NAIL, HAIR, 
 AND BEAUTY SALON WORKERS.

 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280 
et seq.), as amended by 

section 3, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following:

``

SEC. 399V-9. RESEARCH ON HEALTH CONCERNS IMPACTING PROFESSIONAL NAIL, 
 HAIR, AND BEAUTY SALON WORKERS.

 ``

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
 ``

    (1) conduct, or award grants for, research, including 
 community-based participatory research, relating to 
 epidemiological, clinical, ecological, and social scientific 
 investigations into--
 ``
        (A) the chemicals that are linked to adverse 
 health effects and most commonly found in cosmetics 
 used by professional nail, hair, and beauty salon 
 workers;
 ``
        (B) the types and categories of professional 
 salon products containing such chemicals and the 
 availability of safer alternatives;
 ``
            (C) the specific adverse health effects 
 experienced by professional nail, hair, and beauty 
 salon workers from exposure to unsafe chemicals present 
 in cosmetics used in nail, hair, and beauty salons; and
 ``
            (D) interventions that reduce exposure to, or 
 harm done by exposure to, unsafe chemicals present in 
 cosmetics used in nail, hair, and beauty salons; and
 ``

    (2) disseminate the results of the investigations 
 conducted or supported under paragraph

    (1) to help professional 
 nail, hair, and beauty salon workers identify and eliminate 
 potentially unsafe chemical exposures in their workplace.
 ``

    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection

    (a) , an entity shall be any of the following:
 ``

    (1) An accredited institution of higher education.
 ``

    (2) A community-based organization.
 ``

    (3) A nongovernmental organization with expertise working 
 with communities of color or immigrant populations.
 ``
            (c) Report.--Not later than 5 years after awarding the first 
grant under this section, the Secretary shall make publicly available 
and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate a report on the results of the investigations 
conducted or supported under subsection

    (a) , including--
 ``

    (1) summary findings, with respect to professional nail, 
 hair, and beauty salon workers, on--
 ``
        (A) chemicals of concern and products and product 
 categories containing ingredients linked to adverse 
 health effects; and
 ``
        (B) the demographics of the populations using 
 these products and product categories; and
 ``

    (2) recommended occupational health information 
 strategies for professional nail, hair, and beauty salon 
 workers to reduce potentially unsafe exposures to cosmetics.
 ``
            (d) === Definition. ===
-In this section, the term `salon worker' means a 
licensed or nonlicensed cosmetologist, nail technician, barber, or 
esthetician who applies or administers a cosmetic within the scope of 
their business practices.
 ``

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $7,500,000, for the period of 
fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year including the date of 
enactment of this section and running through the fifth fiscal year 
commencing after such date of enactment.''.

SEC. 5. SUPPORT FOR CREATING SAFER ALTERNATIVES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall award grants to support research 
focused on the design of cosmetic chemicals that have no inherent 
toxicity or association with adverse health effects.

    (b) Priority.--In awarding grants under subsection

    (a) , the 
Secretary shall give priority to applicants proposing to focus on--

    (1) replacing chemicals in professional cosmetic products 
 used by professional nail, hair, and beauty salon workers with 
 chemicals that are not associated with adverse health events;

    (2) replacing chemicals in cosmetic products marketed to 
 women and girls of color, including any such beauty, personal 
 hygiene, and intimate care products, with chemicals that are 
 not associated with adverse health events; or

    (3) providing assistance in creating safer product 
 formulations to minority-owned cosmetic companies that are 
 manufacturing and marketing cosmetic products to women or girls 
 of color or professional nail, hair, and beauty salon workers.
            (c) === Definition. ===
-In this section, the term ``salon worker'' means a 
licensed or nonlicensed cosmetologist, nail technician, barber, or 
esthetician who applies or administers a cosmetic within the scope of 
their business practices.
            (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year including the date of 
enactment of this section and running through the fifth fiscal year 
commencing after such date of enactment.

SEC. 6. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON BEAUTY JUSTICE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
award a grant to an eligible entity to establish a National Resource 
Center on Beauty Justice for the purpose of addressing unsafe cosmetic 
chemical exposures experienced by--

    (1) women and girls of color;

    (2) men and boys of color;

    (3) immigrant populations;

    (4) language minorities;

    (5) the LGBTQIA community; and

    (6) other underserved populations as determined appropriate 
 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for purposes of 
 this subsection.

    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection

    (a) , an eligible entity shall be a community-based or other 
nonprofit organization that--

    (1) has a primary focus on eliminating toxic chemical 
 exposures linked to increasing rates of disease; and

    (2) works with culturally and linguistically diverse 
 minority communities, including populations traditionally 
 underserved due to--
        (A) their immigration status;
        (B) geographic location;
            (C) sexual orientation;
            (D) gender identity; or
        (E) language barriers.
            (c) Use of Funds.--The National Resource Center on Beauty Justice 
funded through this section shall use such funds to carry out 
activities and initiatives that are for the purpose described in 
subsection

    (a) and driven by the needs, opportunities, and priorities 
of communities of color, which may include activities and initiatives 
designed to--

    (1) conduct community outreach and organizing and develop 
 community-based interventions that empower and equip 
 communities of color with the information they need to select 
 safe, non-toxic cosmetics;

    (2) develop and implement outreach, awareness, and 
 education strategies targeted at women and girls of color, men 
 and boys of color, immigrant populations, language minorities, 
 and other underserved populations, to decrease unsafe cosmetic 
 chemical exposures experienced by these populations;

    (3) create or develop collaborative partnerships to educate 
 and train, and create best practices for, relevant stakeholders 
 including nongovernmental organizations, health care 
 professionals, sororities and fraternal organizations, 
 community leaders, professional salon workers, brand owners, 
 faith leaders, teachers, and leaders from the LGBTQIA 
 community;

    (4) develop educational curricula and outreach strategies 
 for middle and high schools and institutions of higher 
 education that include linguistically, culturally, and 
 community relevant content and suggested interventions for 
 youth populations; or

    (5) create public education campaigns utilizing culturally 
 and linguistically appropriate images and messaging for 
 targeted populations including community members, youth, health 
 care professionals, salon workers, teachers, and other thought 
 leaders.
            (d) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the recipient 
 of the grant under subsection

    (a) shall submit an annual report 
 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Congress 
 regarding activities carried out pursuant to the grant and an 
 evaluation of the results of the activities.

    (2) Public availability.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services shall make each report under paragraph

    (1) available 
 to the public by posting a copy of the report on the website of 
 the Office of Minority Health.

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030.

SEC. 7. TRANSLATION OF AND ACCESS TO SAFETY DATA SHEETS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall issue a standard 
under 

section 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 
U.S.C. 655) that requires the following:

    (1) Each manufacturer or importer selling any cosmetic for 
 professional use shall--
        (A) obtain or develop a safety data sheet described 
 in subsection

    (b) for each such cosmetic that--
            (i) the manufacturer or importer produces 
 or imports; and
            (ii) includes a hazardous chemical, or a 
 product ingredient associated with any chemical 
 hazard, that is classified as a health hazard 
 in accordance with the criteria found in 
 

section 1910.1200
            (d) of title 29 of the Code of 
 Federal Regulations, and any successor 
 regulations; and
        (B) make the safety data sheet available on the 
 manufacturer or importer's website (in addition to any 
 other required manner of making such sheet available) 
 to distributors and employers, including owners of 
 hair, nail, and beauty salons or spas or other 
 establishments that provide cosmetic services for 
 humans, in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, 
 Korean, and upon request other languages.

    (2) Each distributor of a cosmetic for professional use 
 shall distribute and provide safety data sheets described in 
 subsection

    (b) in the same manner as a distributor of a 
 chemical hazard is required to distribute and provide safety 
 data sheets under 

section 1910.1200

    (g) of title 29, Code of 
 Federal Regulations, or any successor regulations.

    (3) Each employer, including any operator of a salon or 
 other establishment described in paragraph

    (1)
        (B) , shall--
        (A) have a safety data sheet in the workplace for 
 each cosmetic for professional use that is used in the 
 course of the employer's business;
        (B) make such safety data sheet available to all 
 employees of the employer who are exposed or use the 
 product to the same extent and in the same manner as 
 safety data sheets are required to be made available 
 under 

section 1910.1200

    (g) of title 29, Code of Federal 
 Regulations, or any successor regulations; and
            (C) upon request, provide employees with 
 translations of such safety data sheet in other 
 languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, 
 Korean, and upon request other languages.

    (b) Contents of Safety Data Sheet.--A safety data sheet for a 
cosmetic for professional use described in this section shall--

    (1) contain the information required in a safety data sheet 
 under 

section 1910.1200

    (g) of title 29, Code of Federal 
 Regulations, or any successor regulations, for each hazardous 
 chemical, or product ingredient associated with any chemical 
 hazard, described in subsection

    (a)

    (1)
        (A)
            (ii) ; and

    (2) include the following statement: ``This safety data 
 sheet is also available in multiple languages by contacting the 
 manufacturer, using the contact information provided on this 
 sheet.''.
            (c) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Ingredient.--The term ``ingredient'' means an 
 intentionally added chemical in a cosmetic that has a technical 
 or functional effect, including--
        (A) the breakdown products of an intentionally 
 added chemical that also have a functional or technical 
 effect in the cosmetic;
        (B) a fragrance, flavor, preservative, or colorant 
 (and the components thereof); and
            (C) any individual component that the Secretary 
 deems an ingredient for purposes of this section.

    (2) Manufacturer.--The term ``manufacturer'' means the 
 entity that produces ingredients or combines one or more 
 ingredients to produce a cosmetic product.

    (3) Professional.--The term ``professional'' has the 
 meaning given to such term in 

section 609
            (c) of the Federal 
 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 364e
            (c) ).

SEC. 8. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON SALON WORKER HEALTH AND SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
award a grant to an eligible entity to establish a National Resource 
Center on Salon Worker Health and Safety for the purpose of addressing 
unsafe cosmetic chemical exposures experienced by--

    (1) women and girls of color;

    (2) men and boys of color;

    (3) immigrant populations;

    (4) language minorities;

    (5) the LGBTQIA community; and

    (6) other underserved populations as determined appropriate 
 by Secretary of Health and Human Services for purposes of this 
 subsection.

    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection

    (a) , an entity shall be a community-based or other nonprofit 
organization that--

    (1) has a primary focus on eliminating toxic chemical 
 exposures linked to increasing rates of disease; and

    (2) works with culturally and linguistically diverse 
 minority communities, including populations traditionally 
 underserved due to--
        (A) their immigration status;
        (B) geographic location;
            (C) sexual orientation;
            (D) gender identity; or
        (E) language barriers.
            (c) Use of Funds.--The National Resource Center on Salon Worker 
Health and Safety funded through this section shall use such funds to 
carry out activities and initiatives that are for the purpose described 
in subsection

    (a) and driven by the needs, opportunities, and 
priorities of professional salon workers, which may include activities 
and initiatives designed to--

    (1) develop and disseminate information, educational 
 resources, training, and technical assistance to diverse 
 populations of salon workers, including a visual guide, 
 training program, and instructional video to teach salon 
 workers how to read and understand safety data sheets;

    (2) conduct culturally appropriate and language-specific 
 salon worker outreach and develop and implement culturally 
 appropriate interventions that empower and equip salon workers 
 with the information they need to select safe, non-toxic hair, 
 nail, and beauty salon products;

    (3) create culturally specific outreach strategies, 
 resource materials, training curricula, and training programs 
 to serve, and build the capacity of, community-based 
 organizations seeking to support culturally diverse and 
 language-diverse populations of professional salon workers; or

    (4) create or develop collaborative partnerships to create, 
 and educate and train regarding, best practices for health care 
 professionals, brand owners, and other relevant stakeholders to 
 identify and treat the negative health impacts experienced by 
 professional salon workers because of toxic cosmetic chemical 
 exposures.
            (d) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the recipient 
 of the grant under subsection

    (a) shall submit an annual report 
 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Congress 
 regarding activities carried out pursuant to the grant and an 
 evaluation of the results of the activities.

    (2) Public availability.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services shall make each report under paragraph

    (1) available 
 to the public by posting a copy of the report on the website of 
 the Food and Drug Administration.

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030

SEC. 9. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REGULATION OF SYNTHETIC BRAIDS.

    (a) Inclusion in Definition of Cosmetic.--

Section 201
            (i) of the 
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321
            (i) ) is amended by 
striking ``the appearance'' and inserting ``the appearance (including 
synthetic braids)''.

    (b) Misbranded.--

Section 602 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 362) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
 ``

    (g) If it is a set of synthetic braids that do not meet the 
safety standards required by 

section 9 of the Cosmetic Safety for 
Communities of Color and Professional Salon Workers Act of 2025 and the 
labeling and packaging of the synthetic braids--
 ``

    (1) does not display a warning label with the following 
 statement: `This product does not meet the FDA's standard of 
 safety for synthetic braids.'; or
 ``

    (2) such warning is not displayed on the website of the 
 manufacturer of the synthetic braids.''.
            (c) Non-Preemption.--

Section 614

    (b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 364j

    (b) ) is amended to read as follows:
 ``

    (b) Limitations.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection

    (a) , nothing 
 in this section shall be construed to prevent any State (or a 
 political subdivision thereof) from--
 ``
        (A) prohibiting the use or limiting the amount of 
 an ingredient in a cosmetic product;
 ``
        (B) continuing to implement a requirement of such 
 State (or a political subdivision thereof) that is in 
 effect at the time of enactment of the Modernization of 
 Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 for the reporting to 
 the State (or a political subdivision thereof) of an 
 ingredient in a cosmetic product; or
 ``
            (C) implementing a requirement of such State (or 
 a political subdivision thereof) that provides for 
 greater transparency, disclosure, or protection with 
 respect to synthetic braids than the requirements 
 established under the amendments made by the Cosmetic 
 Safety for Communities of Color and Professional Salon 
 Workers Act of 2025 (or continuing to implement any 
 such requirement that is in effect as of the date of 
 the enactment of such Act).
 ``

    (2) Modernization of cosmetics regulation act of 2022.--
 Nothing in the amendments to this Act made by the Modernization 
 of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 shall be construed to 
 preempt any State statute, public initiative, referendum, 
 regulation, or other State action, except as expressly provided 
 in subsection

    (a) .''.
            (d) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall issue 
regulations to implement the amendments made by subsections

    (a) and

    (b) . Such regulations shall establish safety standards for the use of 
synthetic braids.
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