DURHAM, N.C. — Ahead of a major United Nations chemicals conference in November, the largest-ever analysis of the chemical footprint of beauty and personal care products reveals opportunities to strengthen chemical management policy, including on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, while showing how the industry can measure its transition to safer ingredients.

The Know Better, Do Better (KBDB) Collaborative, an industry-led initiative managed by ChemFORWARD, today released its 2026 Beauty & Personal Care Safer Chemistry Profile. The analysis examines nearly 2.9 million ingredient occurrences across 156,594 products commercially available in the U.S., more than tripling the number of products analyzed last year. Among the findings, researchers identified 19 potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as defined in the report, and new scientific evidence that changed the hazard classifications of two widely used ingredients.

ChemFORWARD, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending toxic chemical exposure and illuminating safer alternatives, has named strategic environmental scientist Libby Sommer as its new Principal of Safer Chemistry Activation.

After decades of industry investment in restricting known hazardous chemicals in apparel and footwear manufacturing, a new analysis takes the next step: measuring the chemistry known to be used across the supply chain and mapping the transition to safer chemistry over time.

Following last week’s landmark launch of the Safer Chemistry Impact Metrics Framework by the Safer Chemistry Impact Fund, ChemFORWARD is proud to announce the next evolution of our portfolio assessment services: the Safer Chemistry Profile (SCP) (formerly known as the Ingredient Intelligence Report).

A New Easy-to-Adopt Framework for "Forever Chemicals" Management 

In a significant move for sustainable chemistry, Google has integrated pfasID.org into its 2025 Restricted Substances Specification.

Z2Data's robust supplier and component databases, combined with ChemFORWARD's Chemical Hazard Data Trust, resulted in a proactive tool that turns compliance data into actionable insights. 

PFAS Screening Built Into ChemFORWARD Data Trust

At the upcoming Society of Toxicology (SOT) 65th Annual Meeting, leaders from the science-based nonprofit ChemFORWARD will present a data-driven solution aimed at accelerating the adoption of safer chemistry in household and industrial cleaners. 

Using the latest science to solve the "Persistent and Mobile" challenge

As the global push to eliminate "forever chemicals" and other chemicals of concern intensifies, many companies are racing to find safer alternatives. But there is a previously hidden risk: Mobility. Chemicals may be "Persistent,Mobile, and Toxic" or “Very Persistent and Very Mobile”.These chemicals can reach and  contaminate drinking water—leading to the same health, regulatory and reputational nightmares we see with PFAS today.

Today, ChemFORWARD announced a significant enhancement to the Chemical Hazard Data Trust with the introduction of the "Impurities of High Concern" flag to Chemical Hazard Assessments (CHAs). This new feature is designed to provide greater visibility into the hidden risks associated with common process-related or other known impurities, enabling users to make more informed decisions when selecting safer alternatives.

ChemFORWARD is pleased to announce that Grace Campbell has joined our team as our Research Scientist, Data & Analytics.

A groundbreaking initiative is bridging the gap between the classroom and the chemical industry. NextGenChem, a new educational program launched by ChemFORWARD and Beyond Benign, is equipping college students with professional-grade tools to design safer products and accelerate the transition to sustainable chemistry.

ChemFORWARD Welcomes Dr. Anna E. Montgomery as Director of Operations

ChemFORWARD today announced the introduction of the Chemical Hazard Data Trust, a groundbreaking public interest initiative designed to transform access to reliable chemical hazard information and accelerate the global transition to safer, more sustainable products.

PFAS management is often treated as a matter of compliance: check the lists, confirm whether a chemical appears, and move forward if it doesn’t. But as PFAS definitions evolve and regulatory frameworks struggle to keep pace with chemical innovation, list-based screening alone is no longer sufficient to prevent risk.

The global challenge of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)—the persistent "forever chemicals"—can feel overwhelming.

They are ubiquitous and persistent, and removing them from the environment is often complex and prohibitively expensive.

What if the most powerful step toward a cleaner future isn’t years of invention and innovation - but a simple, strategic action at the very beginning of your journey?

Preventing "Regrettable Substitutions": ChemFORWARD to Lead Key Session at SETAC 2025

We're excited to announce the release of the new Planet Tracker report, "Toxic Additives: Analysing Product Portfolio Risk," which underscores the critical role of ChemFORWARD in bringing much-needed hazard transparency and safer alternatives to the plastics value chain.