Three House lawmakers are calling out the Food and Drug Administration for its yearslong delay in banning hair-straightening treatments that contain or emit cancer-causing formaldehyde. They urge the FDA to heed mounting evidence of the chemical’s health risks and end its use.
The three, Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), in late August sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf questioning the agency’s years of inaction. Without a ban on formaldehyde in hair straighteners, salon workers and customers alike are exposed to the harmful substance any time the products are used.
In 2021, EWG petitioned the FDA to ban formaldehyde from hair-straightening and -smoothing treatments. We highlighted the extensive research underscoring the risks of chemical exposure and called on the agency to swiftly ban its use in these products.
Despite these concerns, the FDA has failed to protect people from this dangerous chemical. It’s unclear when, or if, it will respond to the petition – but urgent action is vital.
Unsafe ingredient
Formaldehyde is key to many hair-straightening treatments. It helps keratin hair strands stick together, allowing hair to maintain its shape after it’s straightened.
But the health risks of exposure to formaldehyde are well documented. In 2011, and again in 2021, EWG asked the FDA for “adverse event” reports related to formaldehyde-based hair-smoothing treatments. EWG received nearly 400 pages of complaints from consumers about illness or injury from using the products.
And because these reports were voluntary until a change in the law, in 2022, many more injuries are likely associated with these services.
The FDA has known for over a decade that keratin hair-smoothing treatments, commonly known as the “Brazilian blowout,” release unsafe amounts of formaldehyde into the air, putting consumers and salon workers at risk of serious health harms.
Even the Cosmetic Ingredient Review – an industry-funded body established to avoid stricter federal regulations – reviewed the safety of formaldehyde at the request of FDA. It concluded in 2013 that formaldehyde is unsafe in “cosmetic products that will be heated.” This admission, made by the personal care industry's own watchdog, directly implicates formaldehyde-based hair straighteners such as Brazilian Blowout.
Known health risks
It’s not just these treatments that are connected to health problems. Formaldehyde has long been associated more broadly with known health risks.
Short-term exposure, such as a hair treatment, is associated with throat, nose and eye irritation, shortness of breath and wheezing. After repeated use, formaldehyde can cause allergic reactions like hives and rashes and an increased risk of asthma.
The National Toxicology Program classifies it as a known carcinogen.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that “working with formaldehyde may increase your chances of having fertility problems or a miscarriage.”
Formaldehyde exposure has also been linked to loss of taste and smell, bleeding gums, blistered scalps and massive hair loss.
FDA inaction
Despite the overwhelming evidence of the dangers of formaldehyde in hair-straightening treatments, the FDA has consistently failed to act decisively.
Documents show the FDA knew as early as 2008 of the dangers of the Brazilian blowout. In an article published in Allure magazine that year, Dr. Linda Katz, then director of the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, was quoted saying, “The FDA is concerned about ingredient and product safety and reviews data that is made available to us.”
In 2011, EWG petitioned the FDA to investigate misleading marketing claims made by over a dozen companies that falsely advertised their hair treatments as formaldehyde-free. EWG exposed these dangerous practices in the report “Flat-Out Risky.”
At the same time, EWG also asked the agency to consider banning formaldehyde in hair straighteners or require manufacturers to put warning labels on their products if they contained or released formaldehyde.
The FDA finally responded to this citizen petition in 2017 and agreed to review a possible formaldehyde ban but denied EWG’s request to require a warning label.
In August 2020, the California Legislature passed – and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law – the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, which bans 12 harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde, from personal care products sold in California. The law takes effect on January 1, 2025.
EWG then filed its latest petition with the FDA on formaldehyde in hair straighteners in 2021 – and is still waiting on a response.
What you can do
Unless and until the FDA acts on formaldehyde in hair straighteners, consumers can protect themselves by:
- Asking questions. Before using any hair-straightening treatment, ask your stylist about the products they use and avoid any that contain formaldehyde.
- Reporting adverse reactions. If you or someone you know has been harmed by a hair-straightening treatment, report it to the FDA. These reports can help build a case for stronger regulation and encourage the agency to take action.
- Supporting legislative action. Contact your local and state representatives and ask them to back legislation that improves safety standards for hair-straightening treatments.
