Studies Raise Concerns About Chemicals in Popular Braiding Hair
- New studies find hazardous substances like lead and carcinogens in many hair extension brands.
- Researchers caution more research needed, but exposure to these chemicals can cause long-term health issues.
- Lack of regulation in the billion-dollar hair extension industry disproportionately affects Black consumers.
For many Black women and girls, buying hair extensions for box braids, twists, faux locs, or other protective styles is routine. However, new research is raising questions about what may be inside some of those products.
Recent studies have identified potentially harmful substances in several brands of hair extensions commonly sold in beauty supply stores. A Consumer Reports investigation released this week found traces of lead in 29 different extension brands. Earlier this month, a peer-reviewed study analyzed 43 hair samples and detected dozens of hazardous chemicals. Some of those substances have been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, and birth defects. A few samples contained chemicals that would require warning labels under California’s Proposition 65 standards.
Researchers caution that current studies have not proven that these extensions directly cause illness. However, the findings highlight concerns about a largely unregulated, billion-dollar industry heavily supported by Black consumers.
Researchers Examine What’s in the Hair
Elissia Franklin, a research scientist and analytical chemist at the Silent Spring Institute, grew up wearing a range of common protective styles. She recalls experiencing skin irritation after installing extensions but did not initially connect it to potential chemical exposure.
Years later, while studying flame retardants used in household furniture, she discovered similar compounds could appear in synthetic hair products.
Franklin’s study, published in February in the American Chemical Society journal Environment & Health, tested both synthetic and human hair purchased online and from beauty supply stores. Researchers detected flame retardants, pesticides, organotins, which are associated with skin irritation, and other chemicals. More than 80% of the samples contained substances linked to breast cancer. All but two of the 43 samples included at least one known hazardous chemical.
These findings follow a 2025 Consumer Reports analysis that identified carcinogens in several synthetic braiding hair brands. Researchers also note that risk may extend beyond extensions themselves. Some commonly used styling products, including gels, adhesives, edge control products, and sprays, have been found to contain preservatives that release formaldehyde.
What We Know and What We Don’t
Experts emphasize that more research is needed to determine the health impact of long-term exposure. The presence of a chemical does not automatically mean it poses immediate danger. Still, scientists say awareness matters.
Franklin notes that many everyday items carry some level of risk, from food to clothing. The goal, she says, is to reduce exposure where possible.
Despite mounting research, the use of braiding hair extensions remains widespread. In salons and homes across the country, protective styling continues as a cultural mainstay, even as conversations grow about what may be woven into the strands.