Demand two companies get benzene out of their products
Sign The Petition
Consumer Reports’ recent test of synthetic braiding hair found that three of the 10 braid samples contained the dangerous chemical benzene, a known carcinogen that can cause acute myeloid leukemia. Although benzene is banned from use in personal care and beauty products, there is very little oversight of the safety of braiding hair. This puts Black women and girls at particular risk from prolonged exposure, as braids are often worn for weeks or months.
Join us in demanding the companies that manufacture the hair braids that contain benzene –Sensationnel and Magic Fingers – immediately remove this toxin from their products, and commit to limiting other health-damaging chemicals in synthetic braiding hair.
Message to Sensationnel and Magic Fingers
We are deeply concerned that a recent study of synthetic braiding hair found the toxic chemical benzene in your products. Benzene is banned in personal care products, as it is a known carcinogen linked to serious health effects, including acute myeloid leukemia. Its presence in your products is especially concerning given the extended duration for which braiding hair is typically worn—often for weeks at a time—leading to prolonged exposure. Moreover, it raises significant concerns about the impacts on younger consumers that wear your braids.
In addition to benzene, other hazardous chemicals were detected in your products, including lead, suspected carcinogens, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Consumers should be able to trust that your products are safe, especially Black women and girls who are the primary wearers of synthetic braids. We urge your company to immediately eliminate benzene in all of your products, work to remove other hazardous chemicals in your products, ensure that any substitute chemicals are safe, and communicate a clear plan of action to the public.