Doctors Leading Push For Regulating Professional Salon Products

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California lawmakers are expected to consider new regulations for what goes into professional products, like the ones applied at nail and hair salons.

Beauty products we get from the store usually tell us what's in it. But most professional products at salons are still unlabeled and unregulated.

It's a work of art. But Jessica Alexander says a bad manicure can be a disaster waiting to happen.

"I get clients come in from another salon and their entire nail bed has been ripped off," she said.

The culprit? Nail polish or paste. Jessica says many salon products are made with hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, known to cause cancer. She make it a point to police her products.

But thousands of hair and nail salons statewide don't require labeling. Physicians are fed up and fighting for legislation that would force manufacturers to list ingredients on all professional products.

"There's no testing at all," said Dr. Kelly McCue, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Sacramento.

Dr. Kelly McCue is one of many Obgyn's pushing for change with Assembly Bill 1575. She says unknown ingredients place pregnant women at increased the risk for miscarriages, birth defects, even developmental problems.

"Getting exposed to an estrogen like chemical during that period of time can have consequences for that fetus later going on to develop breast cancer," she said.

But the multi-billion dollar beauty industry says it already does its part.

The Personal Care Products Council provided us a statement, reading in part:

California workplace standards are world class and current labeling laws are already more than adequate to ensure the safety of those who use our products....It is important to note that we are among the safest industries regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The nation's cosmetic and personal care products companies have a longstanding commitment to the safety of our products. The industry has been labeling cosmetic products since 1977 and has championed a voluntary labeling system for professional cosmetics for many years.

"They're an incredibly strong industry," said Jena Price, pregnant with twins.

Jena Price says the FDA may not have enough control over the industry, but she has power over where she gets pampered.

"While pregnant, I'm always going to go a to salon that for my hair is going to be using quality products that don't have chemicals in them," she said.

If passed, the bill would apply to about 53,000 beauty salons across California.