French-Tipped Formaldehyde: Why FDA’s Statutory Framework Enables Toxic Chemical Exposures in Manicure Products; How Rulemaking or Congressional Action Can Curb Its Detrimental Effect on Occupational Health
Journal
American University Administrative Law Review
Volume
75
Issue
2
Abstract
In the 1970s, a prominent actress sought to aid the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees by running a vocational training program, spurring a “butterfly effect” that would create the modern American nail salon. People who immigrated from Vietnam—beginning with the twenty women who received the actress’s manicure training—gradually and significantly transformed the nail salon industry. What once was an unaffordable and unattainable experience available only to elites blossomed into an “affordable luxury” for many Americans. As manicures, pedicures, and other nail design services become increasingly popular, customer demands continue to bolster the booming industry; in fact, between 2014 and 2019, the number of U.S. nail salons doubled. Even with strict government imposed health and safety precautions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, nail salons have successfully rebounded to meet customer demands. Today, the brick-and-mortar nail salon industry is worth over $8 billion and is expected to continue to grow over the next decade.
Recommended Citation
Le, Ahn-Thi, "French-Tipped Formaldehyde: Why FDA’s Statutory Framework Enables Toxic Chemical Exposures in Manicure Products; How Rulemaking or Congressional Action Can Curb Its Detrimental Effect on Occupational Health" (2023). Celebrating WCL Student Authors. 72.
https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/stusch_lawrev/72