Safer Salons Partnership

The Safer Salons Partnership is a financial reimbursement project we are piloting to help hair stylists and barbers lead the way towards making safer cosmetics a priority for their businesses, clients, and the environment. Participating salons and barbershops in Washington can receive reimbursement for the purchase of eligible hair products.

Want to participate in future opportunities?

To participate in this project in the future, please contact us. The following small businesses in Washington will be eligible to apply:

Hair stylists and salon owners
Barbers and barber shop owners
Cosmetology schools

What’s the purpose of the project?

This project is intended to:

Encourage the use of hair products listed by product recognition programs that meet safety criteria beyond state and federal laws.
Reduce the costs associated with switching to eligible safer hair products.
Reduce exposure to some toxic chemicals in selected hair products.
Educate stylists, barbers, and their clients about safer cosmetic products.
Help the public find hair stylists, barbers, and salons using safer hair products.

Who is already participating?

We launched a 6-month pilot of this project in Dec. 2025. Participating businesses include:

Life’s Salon – Seattle, WA
Olympia Barber School – Olympia, WA
The Mane Team Salon – Auburn, WA
V Cuts Barber Lounge – Lacey, WA

After the pilot concludes, we’ll evaluate and adjust the project. Launch of the project is currently planned for late 2026 or early 2027.

How does the project work?

Participating businesses can receive up to $5,000 reimbursement for:

Purchasing products identified by recognition programs that meet our evaluation criteria.
Providing services to clients using eligible safer products.

Recognition programs

To meet our Level 1 criteria, a product recognition program must ban the use of a minimum set of specific toxic chemicals. Recognition programs meeting our Level 2 criteria ban a broader range of harmful chemicals and assess health hazards of ingredients and impurities.

The Safer Salons Partnership: Pilot Product Recognition Program Evaluation Criteria provides more details on how programs were evaluated for inclusion.

Frequently asked questions

Harmful chemicals used in cosmetics, like shampoo, makeup, and skin moisturizers, can cause negative health effects, such as:

Impacts on the brain, immune system, hormones, reproductive health.
Cancer.
Skin irritation.
Headaches.
Breathing difficulty.

Some of these chemicals can also build up over time in the body.

Learn more:

Salons and stylists can:

Ask professional product manufacturers to develop safer formulations and get more of their products evaluated or certified by recognition programs.
Ask distributors to carry recognized products.

Clients and consumers can:

Ask retailers and stylists if they sell or use recognized products.
Ask brands to develop products that meet criteria for product certifications and recognition programs.

Yes. Washington’s Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (TFCA) restricts certain toxic chemicals and chemical classes commonly found in many personal care products. It also directs Ecology to support independent cosmetologists and small businesses that provide cosmetology services, such as beauty salons, in efforts to transition to safer cosmetic products. We developed the Safer Salons Partnership to meet this requirement in the law.

Go to our TFCA Guidance for Cosmetologists to learn more about how to comply with this law.

No. Cosmetic products that cosmetologists sell or use for service must comply with TFCA. Go to our TFCA Guidance for Cosmetologists to learn how to comply with TFCA.

Participation in the Safer Salons Partnership is voluntary and optional. The Safer Salons Partnership is for participants who want to use cosmetics listed by product recognition programs that meet safety criteria beyond state and federal laws.

Contact information

Need help? Contact our Toxic-Free Cosmetics Team
ToxicFreeCosmetics@ecy.wa.gov

Want to stay informed?
Subscribe to the TFCA Act email list