Hairstyling, Hair Loss, and All the Hype

If you’re determined to try one of the new super-powerful keratin hair-straightening products, take note: Congress has just requested that the FDA take action to remove these products from the US market.

The reason: Concern over health and safety issues surrounding one of the key ingredients, a form of the chemical formaldehyde. Exposure issues have included not just an increased risk of hair loss, but also nosebleed, difficulty in breathing, and an increased risk of cancer, affecting both workers who apply the treatment, and customers who receive it.

Although the US has legislation in place to protect consumers against unsafe beauty products—it’s called the Safe Cosmetics Act—many experts believe it’s not tight enough when it comes to keeping hazardous chemicals out of the mainstream.

Indeed, 10 members of Congress including Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 7 others are urging the FDA to take immediate action to remove formaldehyde-containing hair straighteners, including the popular Brazilian Blowout treatment.

‘American consumers and workers should not be blown over by a Brazilian Blowout’s toxic fumes. High levels of formaldehyde in hair straighteners pose a serious hazard to the health and safety of hair salon patrons and workers. The Food and Drug Administration must immediately call for a voluntary recall of these potentially carcinogenic hair-straightening products and continue to evaluate whether to ban formaldehyde from hair straighteners altogether’, said Representative Markey.

‘We urgently need to close the gaping holes in the outdated federal law that allows hazardous chemicals in cosmetics products’, added Jan Schakowsky, Illinois Congress representative, who also signed the letter.

Interestingly, it should be noted that on the website BrazilianBlowout.com, the ingredients in this product do not contain the specific chemical formaldehyde, and in fact, the salons who offer the treatment frequently state on their websites that their Brazilian Blowout treatments are ‘Formaldehyde Free’.

However, in a civil lawsuit filed last month by California Atty. General Jerry Brown against GIB, the makers of Brazilian Blowout, he contends the company is virtually hiding behind false claims—and hiding the formaldehyde in their products.

GIB responded by saying that the levels of formaldehyde contained in Brazilian Blowout are low enough to warrant the ‘Formaldehyde Free’ label. They contend that when used correctly, their product is safe.