As the back-to-school season begins, students and parents alike are busy preparing for a new academic year. This time of year brings the rush to stock up on essentials, including beauty and personal care products. Yet, as we fill our shopping carts, it’s crucial to consider what we are really putting on our bodies and in our homes.
While the focus is often on finding the best deals for school supplies and clothing, the beauty industry is also vying for our attention with new product launches, back-to-school sales, and marketing campaigns. For many young Black women and girls, this is a time to refresh their look, experiment with new styles, and express themselves through beauty. But beneath the surface of these products lies a darker reality — one that disproportionately affects Black women.
Black women are affected by harmful beauty ingredients at disproportionate rates. Although Black people make up about 13% of the U.S. population, research shows that this same demographic makes up about 22% of the spending in the $42 billion-a-year personal care products market. This staggering figure underscores the significant influence Black women have on the beauty industry; however, the products targeted to this buying group often contain the most hazardous ingredients.
One analysis reveals a troubling trend — fewer than 25% of products marketed to Black women scored low in hazardous ingredients, a stark contrast to the 40% of products targeted for the general public. These harmful ingredients have been linked to severe health issues such as cancer, hormone dysregulation, developmental and reproductive damage, allergies and other adverse health effects. Black women should not face these long-term health risks simply because the beauty industry fails to prioritize their well-being.
As students prepare to return to classrooms, it’s more important than ever to consider the long-term impact of the products they use daily. From skincare to haircare, the choices made now can have lasting effects on their health and well-being. Unfortunately, the beauty standards imposed on young Black women often push them toward products that contain harmful chemicals, all in the pursuit of achieving an unattainable Eurocentric ideal.
In a world that places a premium on certain beauty standards, many women, driven by societal pressures, go to great lengths to try to reach these standards — tragically, not knowing that the products they’re using every single day are actively harming them and potentially shortening their lives. It’s a double bind — not only are these beauty standards often unattainable but they are also rooted in racism.
We are not powerless. Every time we spend money on a company or product that uses harmful ingredients, we are endorsing its bad behavior. Our dollars mean more than just a transaction; they are a powerful endorsement of a company’s practices. Black women, who are driving a significant portion of the beauty industry’s profits and trends, must acknowledge their power and wield this power consciously. There is an opportunity to redirect funds toward companies that prioritize health and well-being over their profit margins.
Finding clean and safe products does not have to be scary. What is truly scary is the extent of toxins we unknowingly introduce into our bodies simply because we feel like we have no other options. Women, and especially Black women, need to know there are options. Clean Beauty for Black Girls, in collaboration with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, has compiled a list of non-toxic beauty products specifically for Black women to create the Non-Toxic Black Beauty Project.
This back-to-school season, let’s shift our focus from merely stocking up on beauty products to understanding the profound impact of our choices.
As you navigate the choices in the beauty aisle this back-to-school season, make informed decisions. Visit the Clean Beauty for Black Girls website for more information on how to choose safer. Your hard-earned money is a powerful tool; redirect it toward companies prioritizing health over profit. Together, we can reshape the beauty industry into one that values the health and diversity of all women.
Hannah McCall (hannah@cleanbeautyforblackgirls.org) is the founder and executive director of the Montgomery County-based nonprofit Clean Beauty for Black Girls.