Rooted in Justice: The Fight for Safe Cosmetics

5 Sept

For decades, beauty has been marketed as empowerment. But behind the glossy packaging and celebrity endorsements lies a harsher truth: products marketed to women — especially Black women and children — often contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, hormone disruption, and other serious health risks.

At the Clean Beauty Coalition, we believe that beauty should never come at the cost of your health. That’s why our movement is not just about cleaner products — it’s about justice.

The Hidden Inequities in Beauty

Studies reveal that Black women are disproportionately exposed to harmful ingredients in personal care products. Hair relaxers, synthetic braiding hair, skin lighteners, and certain nail products often contain high levels of carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and allergens.

Black women are exposed to 80% more toxic beauty ingredients than white women.
1 in 12 beauty products marketed to Black women are rated as “highly hazardous.”
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in cosmetics have been linked to fibroids, infertility, and breast cancer.

This isn’t just a consumer issue — it’s a civil rights and public health issue. When a community is disproportionately burdened by unsafe products, the system is failing.

Why Justice Is at the Heart of Clean Beauty

“Clean beauty” often gets framed as a luxury trend, but for many of us, it’s a matter of survival. Our coalition’s work is rooted in beauty justice — ensuring that everyone, regardless of race, income, or zip code, has access to safe, non-toxic, and sustainable personal care products.

Justice in beauty means:

Policy change that bans harmful chemicals at the source.
Transparency so families can make informed decisions.
Accountability for brands and retailers who profit while ignoring health risks.
Equity so Black women and children are no longer sacrificed in the name of beauty.

Policy Reform: Turning Advocacy Into Action

In 2025, the Clean Beauty Coalition is taking bold steps to change laws and hold companies accountable. We are proud to sponsor the Georgia NonToxic Cosmetics Act, modeled after California’s groundbreaking Safe Cosmetics Act.

This bill would ban 11 of the most dangerous chemicals still found in beauty products, including:

Mercury
Formaldehyde & formaldehyde-releasing agents
Parabens
Phthalates
PFAS (forever chemicals)
Lead and lead acetate
Toluene
Triclosan
Phenylenediamines (PPD, found in hair dye)

Passing this bill would make Georgia a leader in beauty justice and protect millions of families from exposure to toxic products.

Collective Power: Our Community Roots

We know that policy change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes a collective movement of advocates, educators, brands, and consumers to demand better. That’s why our coalition is building a powerful network — from high school students to clean beauty founders, from grassroots activists to global retailers.

Together, we are:

Educating over 1 million ambassadors and members about safe beauty.
Partnering with scientists and toxicologists to strengthen clean beauty standards.
Creating certification programs to help brands and retailers stay compliant as regulations evolve.
Hosting events, summits, and town halls to bring clean beauty into the mainstream.

Rooted in Justice, Growing Toward Change

Our fight is bigger than beauty. It’s about protecting our bodies, uplifting our communities, and leaving a healthier planet for future generations.When we say “rooted in justice,” we mean that our work is grounded in truth, equity, and accountability. And like the magnolia — our symbol of resilience and renewal — our movement continues to grow stronger every day.

Join the Movement

Your voice matters. Whether you’re a student, a parent, a professional, or a policymaker, you can be part of this fight for safer beauty.

Take the Clean Beauty Pledge at cleanbeautycoalition.org
Become a member and join our network of advocates, brands, and changemakers.
Support our legislative efforts by signing the petition for the Georgia NonToxic Cosmetics Act.

Together, we are creating a cleaner, more beautiful future — for all.

Clean Beauty Coalition

The Clean Beauty Coalition led by Amber Makupson, is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that aims to eliminate toxic chemicals from beauty and personal care products, particularly those that disproportionately affect women and children of color. The organization advocates for ingredient transparency, policy reform, and health equity.

Mission and goals

Driven by research highlighting toxic ingredients in products marketed to Black women, the coalition works to create a safer, more equitable, and sustainable beauty industry through several initiatives. These include advocating for regulatory changes, educating consumers about harmful ingredients, holding brands and retailers accountable for providing clean products, offering a certification program to help brands comply with regulations like MOCRA, and partnering with brands focused on sustainability.

http://cleanbeautycoalition.org