Council calls for formaldehyde review
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
In light of controversy surrounding levels of formaldehyde found in Brazilian Blowout products, the Personal Care Products Council asks the Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel to review the safety of formaldehyde and methylene glycol in professional hair-smoothing products. CIR initially reviewed formaldehyde in 2005, determining it safe for use in beauty products if the measurement of free formaldehyde does not exceed 0.2%, but the review considered its use primarily as a preservative and could not conclude that it "is safe in products intended to be aerosolized." Formaldehyde in formulas "exists mostly as methylene glycol with virtually no gaseous formaldehyde remaining," but when it is heated and dried - as in professional smoothing treatments - formaldehyde can be released into the air and inhaled, Council says. The group recommends that FDA work with OSHA to determine if salon hair-smoothing products emit levels of formaldehyde gas that are unsafe under products' intended conditions of use. After receiving consumer complaints, Oregon's OSHA and Health Canada both investigated products from the Brazilian Blowout brand, initially finding formaldehyde levels between 4.85% and 12% (1"The Rose Sheet" Oct. 11, 2010, In Brief). Oregon's OSHA has retested and found levels in the products - which are labeled "formaldehyde-free" - averaging 8.86%. Brazilian Blowout, distributed by Cavideu USA, has maintained its products are safe (2"The Rose Sheet" Oct. 18, 2010, In Brief)