A resolution has been introduced before the Suffolk County Legislature to ban the sale in Suffolk of "personal care products" containing formaldehyde and also require "warning labels for products that may release formaldehyde."
Legislator Jason Richberg of Wyandanch, co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview last week that the inspiration for the measure came from organizations fighting cancer.
On the New York State level, a bill titled the "Beauty Justice Act" that would prohibit the sale of "personal care products" containing any substance that harms health—and formaldehyde is among those cited—passed in the state's Senate, but not the Assembly before the 2026 legislative session ended last month.
A member of the State Assembly from Suffolk County, Tommy John Schiavoni of Sag Harbor, is a co-sponsor of that measure. Also in an interview last week, Schiavoni commented that "people think that there are government regulations in place that ban volatile chemicals in personal care products, but this is not the case." Moreover, "the federal government is going the other way on these things."
The Suffolk County bill declares: "This legislature finds and determines that formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and exposure has been linked to cancers including leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer." Further, "formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing agents are commonly found in personal care products including, but not limited, to hair straightening treatments, nail products, cosmetics and skin care formulations."
Also, "This legislature hereby finds and determines that consumers are often unaware of the presence of formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals due to inconsistent labeling practices or the use of alternative chemical names."
And, "individuals working in salons, particularly cosmetologists and nail technicians, as well as consumers, may be exposed to harmful levels of formaldehyde through repeated use of such products."
"The legislature also finds and determines that several states and jurisdictions have taken steps to regulate or restrict the use of formaldehyde in consumer products to protect public health," it continues.
"Therefore, the purpose of this local law," it says, "is to prohibit the sale and business use of personal care products within Suffolk County that contain intentionally added formaldehyde, and to require a warning label on certain products known to release formaldehyde."
The county's Department of Health Services would enforce the proposed law and conduct inspections. "A retailer that continues to offer for sale a personal care product found by" the department "to violate any of the provisions of this law shall be issued a notice of violation."
As to "penalties" for violation, they would be $500 for a first offense, $750 for a second and $1,000 "for all subsequent violations."
The state's "Beauty Justice Act" declares, "Thousands of chemicals are used in cosmetics and personal care products. Some of these chemicals are associated with asthma, allergies, hormone disruption, neurodevelopmental problems, infertility, even cancer. Exposure to personal care and cosmetic products typically begins in infancy, with products such as baby shampoo, lotion, and diaper cream, and continues throughout their lifespan."
It continues, "According to the Environmental Working Group," a national environmental organization, "on average women use 12 personal care products a day, exposing themselves to 168 chemical ingredients. Men use six, exposing themselves to 85 unique chemicals."
Further, "European Union countries prohibit (with few exceptions) substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction in cosmetic products. The Canadian government regularly updates a Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist that includes hundreds of chemicals and contaminants prohibited and restricted from cosmetics, such as formaldehyde, triclosan, and more. Furthermore, over 40 countries including Japan, Cambodia, and Vietnam, have stricter restrictions on chemicals in personal care products than does the United States."
The state measure says "the federal Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 is the first federal law to significantly update the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. However, the Act fails to meaningfully restrict the use of harmful chemicals in personal care/cosmetic products."
But it "explicitly grants states the ability to enact such restrictions. Therefore, the legislature finds and declares that federal restrictions of harmful chemicals in personal care and cosmetic products are inadequate to educate and protect consumers and salon workers, and that it shall be the policy of the state to restrict chemicals that may harm the health of New Yorkers during production, use, or disposal of personal care products and cosmetic products."
Consumers Reports, published by the organization Consumers Union, issued a statement in June calling on the Assembly "to pass the Beauty Justice Act before the [2026] session ends." It emphasized that the act "has strong bipartisan support with nearly 100 co-sponsors" and that "several U.S. states and the European Union already have similar protections."
"The Beauty Justice Act would eliminate many of the toxic substances in cosmetics that CR [Consumer Reports] found in its testing," it said. "However, the bill has remained with the Ways and Means Committee in the New York Assembly since March 2026, despite passing the NY Senate 51-11, and having strong bipartisan support in the Assembly with 98 co-sponsors."
Richberg, who is co-sponsoring the Suffolk County measure with Legislator Rebecca Sanin of Huntington Station, noted last week that "dangerous chemicals with deleterious effects on the human body also can end up in our water supply."
Schiavoni also noted how "these substances we put on ourselves and our children also get into the environment." Further, emphasized Schiavoni, "the industry can find suitable, safe alternatives" to the "toxic substances now in use."
There will be a public hearing on the county measure when the Suffolk Legislature meets in Riverhead on Tuesday, July 14. Schiavoni said he was "happy that Suffolk County is moving ahead with its bill." Likewise, Richberg said he is pleased with the state's involvement.
As for the state measure, Schiavoni said it will be re-introduced when the State Legislature begins its 2027 session in January, and he hopes for passage in 2027. He said, "It is a popular bill. It is the right thing to do."