FDA Considers Banning Formaldehyde in Hair Relaxers Due to Cancer Risks

In recent news, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a ban on using formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair straighteners. 

The proposed ban is a huge step that follows concerns about the use of hair-straightening products that contain formaldehyde, particularly among Black women who typically use them more often. 

FDA scientists have been calling for a ban on chemicals found in hair-smoothing or hair-straightening products since 2016. Now, if approved, the proposed rule would ban formaldehyde-based hair products as soon as April 2024.

Formaldehyde, Hair, and Your Health

During hair-smoothing or hair-straightening treatments, the product is applied to the hair. This process is followed by the use of heat, which then triggers the release of formaldehyde gas, which, per the International Agency for Research on Cancer, is a human carcinogen.

One would think that formaldehyde’s carcinogenic properties would make it a banned substance. Yet, according to the New York State Department of Health, there are over 150 hair-straightening products on the market that contain formaldehyde.

Unfortunately, the FDA isn’t required to approve cosmetic products and ingredients before they go on shelves. This then leaves ethical responsibility to the companies and brands selling the products.

It’s important to note that even products that don’t contain formaldehyde may contain other ingredients that convert into formaldehyde when heated, such as methylene glycol, which is found in many hair-straightening products.

The concerns surrounding formaldehyde are not new. After all, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), formaldehyde is used in various glues and resins, dyes, textiles, disinfectants, building materials, automobile parts, embalming, and laboratories.

In the early 2000s, as the Brazilian Blowout smoothing treatments grew in popularity, the state of California required hazard warnings be printed on packaging due to the use of formaldehyde. In fact, per a 2020 report from the New York Times, the FDA wanted to ban the Brazilian Blowout and its fellow smoothing treatments due to the presence of formaldehyde or methylene glycol in 2016.

Since then, there have been several movements calling for a ban on formaldehyde and raising awareness about its serious health effects. Most recently, many Black women have sued Revlon, L’Oréal, and other cosmetic brands within the past year, alleging that their hair-straightening products caused them to develop serious health complications.

What does the research say?

In the short term, formaldehyde exposure can cause:

• Watery eyes
• Burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat
• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Nausea
• Skin irritation
• Contact dermatitis
• Itchy rash

In the long term, formaldehyde exposure can be much more severe:

• A 2019 study published in Cancer Epidemiology found that among both black and white women, personal straightener use was associated with breast cancer risk, and a higher risk was noted with increased frequency.
• A 2021 study found a link between the frequent use (>4 times/year) of straighteners/relaxers in the past year and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
• A 2022 study published by the National Institutes of Health found that women who have used hair-straightening products more than four times in the past year faced a doubled risk of developing uterine cancer compared to those who didn’t use the products. 

“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70; but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%” – Alexandra White, lead author

• A 2023 study from Boston University found that the long-term use of chemical hair relaxers among postmenopausal black women was associated with a higher risk of developing uterine cancer. 
• A March 2023 study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology found an association between current and former use of chemical hair straighteners and lower fertility in women. 

Black Women Are Disproportionately Affected by Hair Straightening Products

Many products containing these chemicals are mostly marketed towards Black women.

Due to the serious healthcare disparity, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown wrote a letter this past March calling for the FDA to investigate the health risks associated with hair straightening products. 

For one, the letter highlighted how Black women use hair-straightening products to adapt to Eurocentric societal standards and avoid anti-Black hair sentiment. The letter also sheds light on the health risks associated with this action, 

“The increased risk disproportionally impacts Black women and contributes to national racial health disparities. The FDA has a mandate to review the latest research and reevaluate the safety of these products,” the representatives wrote.

After hearing the news of the FDA’s proposed ban, Representative Brown applauded the act in a press release,

“On behalf of women, especially Black women across the country, I applaud the FDA’s new proposed rule banning formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals from hair straighteners.”

Should I be worried if I’ve used chemical straighteners?

Not exactly. 

Speaking to the New York Times, Dr. Kimberly Bertrand is an epidemiologist at Boston University’s Sloane Epidemiology Center with a history of studying black women’s health. She shared that studies on the cancer risk of these products are conducted on a population level, which makes it impossible to determine any one person’s risk.

Jasmine McDonald, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, added that we’re exposed to many different things in our life course, and relaxers are something we can control our exposure to.

Reducing your risk

Cancer has many risk factors, and the use of chemical hair straighteners and relaxers may increase that risk, especially in individuals with other risk factors including obesity and a strong family history of the disease. 

If you’re looking to mitigate your risk, it would be advisable to either avoid hair straighteners or relaxers. Instead, find alternative salon treatments that don’t release formaldehyde when heated. It’s also advisable to at least reduce how frequently you use them. 

If you want to avoid formaldehyde, ingredients that are synonyms for formaldehyde or methylene glycol, include:

• Formalin
• Methanal
• Methanediol
• Formaldehyde monohydrate

Also, chemicals that release formaldehyde when the product is heated include:

• Timonacic acid
• Dimethoxymethane
• Decamethyl-cyclopentasiloxane

If you work in a salon, please be sure to wear protective equipment like gloves and to ventilate the space as much as possible. Lastly, request that the salon owners test the salon air to determine formaldehyde levels. 

If you have frequently been exposed to chemical hair straighteners and relaxers, you can speak to your doctor to assess your risk.

The bottom line

Hair is an important aspect of our daily lives, yet the way we manage or treat it should not compromise our health. With the FDA’s proposal, it appears that we can look forward to healthier days for both our curls and ourselves.

References

Bertrand, K. A., Delp, L., Coogan, P. F., Cozier, Y. C., Lenzy, Y. M., Rosenberg, L., & Palmer, J. R. (2023). Hair relaxer use and risk of uterine cancer in the Black Women’s Health Study. Environmental Research, 239, 117228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.117228

Chang, C., M, K., Keil, A. P., Gaston, S. A., Jackson, C. L., Sandler, D. P., & White, A. J. (2022). Use of Straighteners and Other Hair Products and Incident Uterine Cancer. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 114(12), 1636-1645. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djac165

Eberle, C. E., Sandler, D. P., Taylor, K. W., & White, A. J. (2020). Hair dye and chemical straightener use and breast cancer risk in a large US population of black and white women. International Journal of Cancer, 147(2), 383-391. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32738

White, A. J., Sandler, D. P., Gaston, S. A., Jackson, C. L., & M, K. (2021). Use of hair products in relation to ovarian cancer risk. Carcinogenesis, 42(9), 1189-1195. https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgab056

Wise, L. A., Wang, T. R., Ncube, C. N., Lovett, S. M., Abrams, J., Koenig, M. R., Geller, R. J., Wesselink, A. K., Coleman, C. M., & Hatch, E. E. (2023). Use of Chemical Hair Straighteners and Fecundability in a North American Preconception Cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology, 192(7), 1066-1080. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwad079

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