In 2023, the Washington legislature passed the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, which restricts the manufacture, distribution, and sale of cosmetic products that contain certain toxic chemicals within the state. The law also directs the Washington Department of Ecology to evaluate the hazards of chemicals with the same function as restricted chemicals that may be safer, provide technical support to small businesses that make or use cosmetic products, and identify and conduct a rulemaking to restrict chemicals that release formaldehyde. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2025, restricting nine toxic chemicals and chemical classes from cosmetic products from being made, distributed, or sold in Washington.Several states have passed laws outside of Washington to restrict or ban certain ingredients in cosmetics, and each new law comes with its own unique set of rules and requirements, which can make it difficult for beauty brands to remain compliant across all 50 states. To help beauty industry professionals understand this new law and its requirements, the Independent Beauty Association (IBA) hosted a dedicated session with Shari Franjevic, the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act Implementation Planner at the Washington State Department of Ecology. The session was included in IBA’s fall symposium, a two-day event covering timely and topical technical, regulatory, and sustainability matters. If you’re curious about what your beauty brand needs to do in order to remain compliant in the state of Washington as of January 1, 2025, here are some of the key insights Franjevic shared in her talk.