Trade Association Labels Formaldehyde Unsafe & Advocates Removal from Hair Straightening Products

After a long period of deliberation the mostly unregulated cosmetic industry's own trade association, through its reviewing agency, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (CIR) has declared formaldehyde and methylene glycol unsafe and requested its removal from hair straightening products. US government regulators have labeled the substance as carcinogenic and warned both users and workers of the hazards.

"In concept, therefore, limits on the concentration of formaldehyde/methylene glycol in hair smoothing products, control of the amount of product applied, use of temperature lower than 450 o F, and approaches to mandate adequate ventilation, are among the steps that could be taken to ensure that these products could be used safely in the future. However, in the present practices of use and concentration (on the order of 10% formaldehyde/methylene glycol, heating to 450 o F, inconsistent ventilation, resulting in many reports of adverse effects), hair smoothing products containing formaldehyde and methylene glycol are unsafe."

The CIR continues to advocate that formaldehyde and methylene glycol are safe for use in other products.

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