Commercial hair extensions typically contain chemicals that cause cancer and disrupt reproduction.
Dozens of harmful substances have been found in every commercially available hair extension product, including flame retardants and chemicals linked to breast cancer risk. Others were hormone disruptors.
Levels of the chemicals in American extensions were often higher than European safety standards permit, and every product tested contained a dozen or more.
Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute tested 43 popular hair extension brands from online retailers and local beauty supply stores. Only two of the samples didn’t contain hazardous chemicals. A total of 48 identified chemicals appear on major hazard lists, including 12 listed under California’s Proposition 65 for causing cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm, and four different flame retardants were detected in both synthetic and bio-based products.
Seventeen chemicals connected to breast cancer were found in 36 samples, including compounds known to disrupt hormones in ways that may increase risk.
The global hair extension market is projected to surpass $14 billion by 2028, with the United States leading in global imports. Hair extensions are produced from synthetic fibres or bio-based materials, including human hair, and manufacturers frequently treat them with chemicals to make them flame resistant, waterproof, or antimicrobial.
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