Florida Inches Closer to Banning Harmful Chemicals in Makeup Products

TALLAHASSEE—As Florida aligns with President Donald Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, a new bill targeting vaccine material in food and banning harmful chemicals in makeup flew through its first Senate committee on Wednesday.

During the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries Wednesday morning, Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud tacked a ban on lead and harmful substances in makeup products onto Republican Sen. Joe Gruters's bill classifying foods with vaccine materials as drugs. The amendment follows a federal recall last week on acne products contaminated with a potential carcinogen and amid growing research surrounding the long-term health problems caused by cosmetic chemicals.

"Many cosmetics contain toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, reproductive issues, and other serious health issues," Calatayud said, specifically naming phthalates, PFAs, and mercury. "Florida currently has no restrictions on these harmful substances."

Her amendment, which was unanimously added to the bill, outlines a slew of substances linked to endocrine and reproductive issues over a long period of time. This includes formaldehyde, a known carcinogen when inhaled, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), tied to infertility, and lead, which can be neurotoxic in high doses.

If passed, Florida would be the eleventh state to ban PFAs in cosmetic products.

But Florida Retail Federation President Scott Shalley raised concerns over the bill's potential for overstepping federal authority, noting that the Food and Drug Administration has historically regulated these chemicals.

"Now we're looking at state regulations," he told The Floridian after the committee hearing, remarking that while he supports the bill, he hopes Calatayud will consider taking a "deep dive" into her list of banned chemicals and how their ingredients will be approved and denied going forward.

Last week, the FDA led a recall of six acne products contaminated with benzene, a cancerous chemical commonly found in crude oil, gasoline, and tobacco smoke.

"We have...concerns. One is that we get into a situation where we have a patchwork of regulation across the country, so then manufacturers and retailers are faced with trying to track a lot of different standards," Shally added.

This is not the first Florida health-related bill that's faced accusations of state infringement. While attempting to align with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, Florida lawmakers paraded a new bipartisan measure last week requiring warning labels on food and drink products containing certain synthetic dyes. This led some conservatives, including MAGA podcaster Laura Loomer, to worry that Florida was overstepping its authority.

Meanwhile, Gruters's bill bans vaccine materials in food, including using fruits or vegetables as a "delivery mechanism" for mRNA vaccines like the COVID shot. With Calatayud's amendment, the measure also requires in-state retailers to exhaust their cosmetics stock containing harmful chemicals by July 1, 2027.

The complete list of chemicals includes: lead, phthalates, PFAs, formaldehyde, methylene glycol, mercury, triclosan, M-phenylenediamine, and O-phenylenediamine.

SB 196's next committee stop is the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government.