Committee advances bill requiring warning labels on hair products with known toxicants

The Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on Wednesday advanced House Bill 1135, a measure that would require manufacturers to place a warning label on hair products the sponsors say contain known carcinogens or reproductive toxicants. Senator Marchman, the lead sponsor, described the bill as "pretty simple and narrow," limited to adding a consumer warning rather than an outright ban.

Marchman told the committee that research has shown a link between some chemical hair‑straightening products and uterine cancer, saying, "women who used chemical hair straightening products frequently were 2.5 times more likely to develop uterine cancer," and cited an active multidistrict lawsuit in Illinois involving more than 11,000 plaintiffs.

Senator Benavides said the measure is intended to ensure consumers are not misled and noted enforcement would be handled by the state Attorney General's office as a deceptive trade practice. Benavides also said federal guidance exists but federal regulators have not moved to ban certain chemicals, and that the bill phases in the labeling requirement—Marchman and Benavides said compliance will not be required until after 07/01/2028 and that the Attorney General could adopt implementing rules consistent with federal law.

Sponsors offered two technical amendments that the committee adopted by unanimous consent. Amendment L003 was described as clarifying that the bill covers both synthetic and natural hairpieces (removing a limiting reference to "synthetic" products). Amendment L004 updated the legislative text to include additional research organizations as references and to clarify rulemaking authority for the Attorney General; the sponsor said those warnings must be consistent with applicable federal law.

After final remarks from the sponsors, Senator Henriksen moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the motion passed unanimously and the chair placed House Bill 1135 on the consent calendar.

The committee did not receive any public testimony on the bill during the witness phase. The next step for House Bill 1135 is consideration on the Senate floor under the consent calendar.