Hormonal Activity in Commonly Used Black Hair Care Products: Evaluating Hormone Disruption as a Plausible Contribution to Health Disparities

The study evaluated the hormonal activity of six hair products commonly used by Black women, which were identified from the Greater New York Hair Products Study. Using reporter gene assays, the researchers tested for estrogenic, androgenic, progestogenic, and glucocorticoid bioactivity. All products exhibited some level of hormonal activity. Specifically, three products had estrogen agonist properties with estradiol equivalent concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 20 ng/g, while all but one product displayed androgen antagonist properties with androgen equivalent concentrations between 20 to 25 ng/g. Additionally, four samples showed both antagonistic and agonistic properties to progesterone and glucocorticoid. The findings suggest that the frequent use of these hormonally active hair products could potentially impact health outcomes and may contribute to reproductive and metabolic health disparities among Black women.