Your Hair-Straightening Products Can Be Carcinogenic

If you are someone who uses hair-straightening products you might need to look for alternatives after FDA’s new rules. 

The agency has decided to ban hair-straightening products containing formaldehyde as well as a series of other chemicals that release formaldehyde, such as methylene and glycol which converts to formaldehyde gas after coming in contact with air.

Formaldehyde has been always considered a potentially hazardous chemical to humans according to scientists. Also, a study done in 2022 has linked formaldehyde with uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer. The study showed that women over the age of 70 who used hair-straightening products in the past 12 months had a 4% risk of developing uterine cancer, whereas women over 70 who did not use the products had a 1.6% risk.

The FDA’s recent action requires manufacturers of shampoo, nail polish, makeup, and other items to register their manufacturing sites with the F.D.A., and they are required to disclose the ingredients on the packaging.

Additionally, the agency recommends consumers read the labels of hair products before purchasing them and avoid those that contain formaldehyde, formalin, or methylene glycol. Also, it encourages people to ask hairdressers what products they are using.