Hair Extension Standards and Regulations in the US: An Overview

There are various US regulations, standards, and labeling requirements applicable to hair extensions. In this guide, we explain what brand owners must know about fire safety, chemical restrictions, country of origin labeling, packaging regulations, and other compliance requirements relevant to hair extensions sold in the United States.

Hair Extension Materials

Manufacturers of hair extensions may use either human hair or synthetic hair extension fibers for their products. While human hair comes from donors, synthetic fibers are created to resemble human hair.

Non-flame-retardant materials

The synthetic fibers used in the manufacture of hair extensions may not be flame-retardant. This is dangerous because these synthetic fibers burn easily and may cause injury to the wearer of the hair extension.

Manufacturers may use the limiting oxygen index (LOI) values to determine the flame-retardance of materials such as hair extensions.

A research paper uploaded to ScienceDirect defines the LOI as “the minimum oxygen concentration (in vol%) that is necessary to sustain a stable combustion of the specimen after ignition”. In practice the higher the LOI value, the higher the flame retardance properties of the material.

Flame retardant materials: Kaneka

Kaneka is a leading Japanese company that produces flame-retardant fibers for hair extensions. They claim that their synthetic fibers have LOI values high enough for allowing the fibers to self-extinguish.

Kaneka claims that some of its products meet UL 94’s V-0 safety classification, and provides customers with LOI results based on the JIS L1091 method. This includes the following fibers:

a. Kanekalon® (Modacrylic fiber) – LOI: 28

b. Futura™ (Flame-retardant polyester fiber) – LOI: 28

c. Advantage™ (Polyvinyl chloride fiber) – LOI: 36

d. Ultima™ – Collagen fiber – LOI: 40

Flame retardant materials: Toyakalon

Toyakalon, launched by the Japanese chemical company Denka in 1952, is a PVC fiber that is used for hair pieces and fashion wigs. Denka claims that Toyokalon fibers include flame retardance as one of their characteristics.

Brand examples

Here we list some examples of brands that sell flame-retardant hair extensions:

• House of Hair
• Beauty Shoppers
• Light in the Box

Flammability Standards

To our knowledge, there are no specific flammability standards that cover hair extensions. However, importers and manufacturers of hair extensions can use flammability standards such as the ones below to ensure that their products are safe for human use, even if these standards were not originally developed for hair extensions.

UL 94 – Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances

UL 94 contains various methods for testing the flammability of plastic materials for parts in devices and appliances and is used by companies such as Kaneka to test the flammability of hair extension fibers. The methods in the standard are used to test how specimens of generic size respond to an open flame in controlled conditions.

The standard also includes methods for assessing factors such as the following:

• Ease of ignition
• Burning rate
• Flame spread

JIS L1091 – Testing Methods for Flammability of Textiles

The Japanese standard JIS L1091 contains methods for testing the flammability of textiles and it might be used to test the flammability of their hair extension fibers.

Several international standards, such as the ones below, offer test methods that correspond to the ones outlined in JIS L1091:

a. ISO 6940 – Textile fabrics — Burning behavior — Determination of ease of ignition of vertically oriented specimens

b. ISO 6941 – Textile fabrics — Burning behavior — Measurement of flame spread properties of vertically oriented specimens

c. ISO 10047 – Textiles — Determination of surface burning time of fabrics

CPSIA

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulates children’s products (e.g., toys) that are imported and manufactured for sale in the United States. This also includes hair extensions that are meant for children younger than 12 years.

Importers and manufacturers should comply with the CPSIA requirements, which include:

• Comply with relevant children’s product safety rules
• Draft a Children’s Product Certificate
• Create a tracking label

Other Requirements

The following regulations do not apply specifically to hair extensions. However, these are still relevant as the regulations apply to consumer products in general.

California Proposition 65

California Proposition 65 requires businesses to warn consumers in California if their products may contain chemicals that are deemed to be harmful to the human body, by providing warning labels on their products.

Businesses may have their products exempt from warning requirements if they can provide evidence – e.g. lab testing – that they do not contain any restrictions above the legal limits.

Currently, the proposition restricts more than 900 substances. This also includes substances that may be present in materials relevant to synthetic hair materials or colorants for hair extensions. Here are some examples:

• Azo dyes
• Phthalates
• Sulfates

Country of Origin Marking

The country of origin marking is required to appear on consumer products imported into the United States for sale. It should be clear, readable, permanent, and printed in the English language.

As such, packages of hair extensions imported from countries such as Brazil and India should bear markings such as “Made in Brazil” or “Made in India”.

Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation

The Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation is not a federal regulation. Despite that, as of 2021, 19 states across the US have adopted it.

The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) developed the legislation to reduce the usage of heavy metals such as the following in packaging or packaging components sold across the US:

• Cadmium
• Chromium IV
• Lead
• Mercury

The legislation forbids the intentional usage of the above metals in packaging and packaging components unless the total amount is less than the threshold of 100 ppm.

In early 2021, the TPCH added PFAS and ortho-phthalates to the list of substances they prohibit from usage in packaging.

Certificate of Compliance

The legislation requires importers and manufacturers to draft a certificate of compliance. The certificate should include information such as the following:

a. Certification statements

b. Company’s name and address

c. Name, signature, and title of the certifier

d. The date of the certificate was signed

Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (UPLR)

The Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (UPLR) is not a federal regulation, but 45 out of 50 states in the US have adopted it. The UPLR helps to ensure that product labels provide consumers with adequate information such as the following:

• Product identity
• Manufacturer’s name and place of business
• Net quantity of contents (e.g., weight, numerical count)

The regulation covers the packaging of consumer and non-consumer products in categories that include textiles and accessories, which might include hair extensions.

Other UPLR requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. The quantity declaration label should be on the bottom 30% of the principal display panel

b. The display panel size should correspond to the height and depth of the rectangular package

c. The words on the label should be printed in a color that contrasts with the background it is printed on