Hair products marketed towards Black women contain a disproportionate amount of toxic or allergenic ingredients, and research suggests that chemical exposure from these products may contribute to health disparities in Black women. Illustrating this, a study of 18 mainstream products commonly used by Black women found that 100% of products contained artificial fragrances known to cause multiple conditions including skin irritation and eczema, while 72% of products contained methylparaben, an ingredient associated with altered hormone levels in pregnant women, estrogenic and adipogenic activity, as well as an increased risk of pruritus (itchy skin) in Black women. Other poor health outcomes linked to hair product use include contact dermatitis, and hair loss-affecting an estimated 50% of Black women-as well as elevated risks for breast cancer, premature puberty, reproductive harm, and other hormone-mediated diseases and conditions. Exposure to exogenous hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has also been reported as potentially contributing to cases of early menstruation, uterine fibroids, and infertility. Notably, Black women of reproductive age have been found to have higher levels EDCs in their bodies (e.g., parabens, phthalates) compared to white women of the same age. It has been postulated that the elevated risks observed among Black women may owe to both higher concentrations of EDCs in products marketed to them and higher frequencies of application, but more research is needed to clarify potential links, particularly as Black hair and skin have largely been excluded from R&D for product development and clinical research. Addressing the need for further investigation into risks associated with ingredients in hair products, best practices for safer use, and appropriate avenues for knowledge sharing within the community, HairDays proposes a multi-modal approach applying artificial intelligence (AI) tools including machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to deliver a first-in- kind hair intelligence platform that will provide ingredient transparency, offer data-driven hair care recommendations, and present culturally conscious insights to promote safer practices. Product ingredients will be assessed using structured and unstructured data mined from scientific journals and hair care/science databases, as well as product reviews to understand the relationships between factors such as ingredients, frequency of use, hair profile, and user satisfaction. We will use these knowledge gains to generate insights on ingredient risk and corresponding product recommendations, which will then be disseminated to affected communities through the HairDays platform. Through successful development of the envisioned platform, we aim to mitigate scalp, hair, and related pathologies (e.g., potential breast cancer risk) stemming from ill-matched products and high-risk ingredients. Phase I Specific Aims are as follows: 1) Develop hair knowledge engine using NLP and AI to extract and map product and ingredient data; and 2) Assess impact of user engagement on attitudes and beliefs about product selection and usage.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Narrative - Multiple studies have found that hair products marketed towards Black women contain a higher level of toxic ingredients when compared to products marketed towards other women. Poor health outcomes linked to hair product use include pruritus, contact dermatitis, and hair loss, as well as elevated risks for breast cancer, premature puberty, reproductive harm, and other hormone-mediated diseases and conditions. HairDays aims to mitigate these health risks through a first-in-kind hair intelligence platform that will provide ingredient transparency, offer data-driven hair care product recommendations, and present culturally conscious insights to promote safer practices.
Project Terms: Exposure to; tool; Machine Learning; machine based learning; Knowledge; Investigation; Frequencies; Source; Lotion; Chemical Exposure; Exclusion; Reporting; reproductive; immunoreaction; Immune reaction; Skin; disparity in health; health disparity; telehealth; Address; Breast Cancer Risk Factor; breast cancer risk; Data; Improve Access; Patient-Focused Outcomes; Patient outcome; Patient-Centered Outcomes; patient oriented outcomes; Development; developmental; Allergic Reaction; working group; work group; Endocrine Disrupter; Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals; Endocrine disrupting agent; endocrine disrupting compound; Endocrine Disruptors; stem; high risk; multi-modality; multimodality; product development; Regimen; BigData; Big Data; health data; Estrogenic Agents; Estrogenic Compounds; estrogenic; side effect; structured data; unstructured data; knowledge graph; under served community; underserved community; black women; black female; Black Populations; Black group; Black individual; Black people; Blacks; poor health outcome; reduced health outcome; worse health outcome; Affect; ages; Age; Algorithms; Baldness; Alopecia; Artificial Intelligence; AI system; Computer Reasoning; Machine Intelligence; Attitude; Beauty; Belief; Black race; Black; Bulla; Bleb; Blister; Bullous Lesion; Vesication; Burn injury; Burns; burned; Cicatrix; Scars; Clinical Research; Clinical Study; Communities; Democracy; Contact Dermatitis; Contact Eczema; Dermatitis Venenata; Diagnosis; Disease; Disorder; Eczema; Eczematous Dermatitis; eczematous; Exanthema; Exanthem; Rash; Skin Rash; Feedback; Goals; Hair; Hair Dyes; Hair Colorants; Hair Coloring Agents; Health; Health Personnel; Health Care Providers; Healthcare Providers; Healthcare worker; health care personnel; health care worker; health provider; health workforce; healthcare personnel; medical personnel; treatment provider; Hormones; Endocrine Gland Secretion; Therapeutic Hormone; Industry; Infertility; Cannot achieve a pregnancy; Difficulty conceiving; fertility cessation; fertility loss; infertile; Insurance; Intelligence; Learning; Mainstreaming; Educational Mainstreaming; achievement Mainstream Education; Maps; Marketing; Menstruation; Menses; menstrual period; monthly period; monthly periods; Persons; Natural Language Processing; natural language understanding; Oils; Pain; Painful; Parabens; Pathology; Polishes; Pregnant Women; expectant mother; expecting mother; pregnant mothers; Pruritus; Itching; Pruritic Disorder; Pruritis; itch sensation; Puberty; Recommendation; Research; research and development; Development and Research; R & D; R&D; Risk; Scalp structure; Scalp; Science; Thinness; Leanness; Uterine Fibroids; Fibroid Uterus; Uterine Body Fibroid; Uterine Body Leiomyoma; Uterine Corpus Fibroid; Uterine Corpus Leiomyoma; Uterine Fibroma; Uterine Leiomyoma; Uterus Fibroma; corpus uteri fibroid; corpus uteri leiomyoma; uterus leiomyoma; Woman; health care; Healthcare; Mediating; phthalates; Caring; skin irritation; Magazine; Journals; Allergic Eczematous Dermatitis; Allergic Contact Dermatitis; Irritant Contact Dermatitis; Primary Irritant Dermatitis; Irritant Dermatitis; prematurity; premature; Phase; Dermatological; Dermatologic; Link; Chemicals; hair shaft; Hair shaft structure; insight; Consciousness; Conscious; Individual; Data Bases; data base; Databases; satisfaction
