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Brands that hide formaldehyde « Hair Straighteners
Published: April 2011
an ewg investigation
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Brands that hide formaldehyde
The chemical name game
EWG has investigated 16 companies that make hair-straightening products with high formaldehyde content. All exceed safety limits set by the Cosmetic
Ingredient Review, an industry safety panel. Which hair straighteners come clean about their formaldehyde content? None, in EWG’s review.
15 of 16 brands admit to little to no formaldehyde. Tests show their products contain substantial amounts.
Companies whose claims and tests do not match include Brazilian Blowout, Keratin Express, KeraGreen, Tahe and R&L. The 16th company, Goleshlee, admits
on its website that its product contains formaldehyde but omits the toxic chemical from its online ingredient list.
Can hair straighteners get away with the claim “formaldehyde free?”
Name games
Leading hair straighteners, including Brazilian Blowout, claim that formaldehyde mixed with water creates a new chemical, methylene glycol. That is like saying
that sweet tea does not contain sugar. In fact, when you purchase straight formaldehyde from a chemical company, you are actually buying a formaldehyde-water
mixture. Over time, if exposed to air, the formaldehyde will off-gas, in other words, reverting to a gas, its natural state at room temperature.
When its scientists conduct risk assessments, the Environmental Protection Agency calls this formaldehyde/water mixture a “pool of free formaldehyde” (EPA
2010B). The American Chemistry Council says the scientific community widely considers methylene glycol to be “formaldehyde in solution” for the purpose of
determining a product’s formaldehyde content (ACC 2010). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s formaldehyde regulations cover formaldehyde
gas and “its solutions, and materials that release formaldehdye” (OSHA 1992).
Some makers of hair straighteners - Brazilian Blowout, Cadiveu, Global Keratin and Marcia Teixeira – make the misleading claim that methylene glycol is not
formaldehyde. Altogether, four companies list “methylene glycol” on their websites or worker safety materials.
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Misleading tests
Cadiveu and Brazilian Blowout bolster their low-formaldehyde claims by analyzing only the tiny amounts of formaldehyde gas in their products. They ignore the
products’ formaldehyde-water solution, even though some of it is transformed to gas when hair coated with the product is heated by a straightening iron. That
explains why Cadiveu reports formaldehyde levels of 0.0002 percent, when Heath Canada found it to contain 7 percent formaldehyde (Cadiveu 2011, Health
Canada 2010C).
Other names
At least two companies disguise formaldehyde with obscure names known only to chemists – and not many of them. For example, Keratin Express says its hair
straighteners “contain an aldehyde” (Keratin Expres 2011). Tests show up to 1.2 percent formaldehyde in its products. Bravo Biocare’s product, Organic
Thermo Fusion – Brazilian Keratin Treatment, describes formaldehyde as “morbicid acid” (Bravo Biocare 2011).
Formaldehyde releasers
Some companies use chemicals that are not, strictly speaking, formaldehyde but that break down to formaldehyde and release the chemical into the air when they
are heated. Coppola says its hair straightener contains a “bonded aldehyde” that, when heated, decomposes and binds to the hair (Copolla 2010). Hot vapors
steaming off heated hair as the chemical coating breaks apart would test positive for formaldehyde. Trichovedic, an Australian company that markets HydroSpa
products, sidestepped regulations and reformulated to a formaldehyde-free product that now uses formaldehyde-releasing chemicals after product testing found
formaldehyde.
Silence
IBS Beauty and Spazzola are mum about their use of formaldehyde. EWG researchers found no formaldehyde claims one way or the other, on either company’s
website or media reports.
The vast majority of products surveyed by EWG – 64 of 95 – have not been tested for formaldehyde. Most companies that manufacture keratin hair
straighteners – 43 of 46 – do not disclose they have used this hazardous chemical.
Government and indepedent laboratories have detected formaldehyde above industry-recommended safe limits in 28 of 31 products tested. So if you are
wondering about a brand that has not been tested, odds are formaldehyde is in that bottle.
It is not just customers who are being hoodwinked. Misleading claims help manufacturers and salons avoid OSHA regulations that require employers to list
formaldehyde on worker safety materials (technically called material safety data sheets or MSDS) when their employees handle solutions containing more than
0.1 percent formaldehyde.
TABLE: 15 of 16 companies claim little to no formaldehyde when tests show their products contain substantial amounts
Company
Brazilian
Blowout
Claim
Testing
Prior to [2/13/2011]:
Formaldehyde
“CONTAINS NO
levels up to
FORMALDEHYDE!” As of 11.8%
[3/1/2011]: There is no
mention of the word
formaldehyde on the website
or the material safety data
sheet that continues to list
Methylene Glycol.
Reference
Oregon OSHA
2010A, Oregon
OSHA 2010B,
IMB 2010A,
IMB 2010B,
Fisher 2007,
Health Canada
2010B
Coppola
In addition to the Keratin, our Formaldehyde
formula includes Timonacic levels up to
acid, a benign antioxidant
2.3%
patented in France which is
part of an aldehyde group
that is used in hair products
and acts as an organic
ACCC 2010,
AFSSAPS 2010,
Columbia
Analytical
Services 2010,
FDA FOIA
2010, Health
preservative… The difference
Canada 2010C,
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preservative… The difference
Canada 2010C,
between Brazilian
IMB 2010A,
straightening companies that
IMB 2010B,
add free formaldehyde as an
Oregon OSHA
ingredient and Keratin
2010B, RAPEX
Complex’s bonded
2010
aldehydes is that the latter is
not harmful.
Marcia
Methylene glycol, which does Formaldehyde ACCC 2010,
Teixeira
not appear on the FDA’s
levels up to
AFSSAPS 2010,
official list of prohibited
3.4%
Columbia
cosmetic ingredients, is the (potentially up to Analytical
ingredient in our treatments 5.87%)
Services 2010,
that will produce a trace level
FDA FOIA
of formaldehyde vapor when
2010, Health
high heat is applied. For that
Canada 2010C,
reason, we can state that
Irish NCA 2010,
formaldehyde is not an
Oregon OSHA
ingredient in our treatments,
2010B, Fisher
but, we cannot, and have
2007
never claimed that they are
formaldehyde free.
Global
Since the inception of Global Formaldehyde Columbia
Keratin
Keratin the company has
levels up to
Analytical
been in full compliance with 4.4%
Services 2010,
all regulations worldwide and
Health Canada
never made any false claims.
2010C, IMB
In our old formulas Global
2010A, IMB
Keratin used Methylene
2010B
Glycol (CAS: 463-57-0) in
our products.
Silkening
No formaldehyde, no
Formaldehyde Health Canada
Technologies unpleasant fumes or odours. level of 2.8% 2010C
Just frizz-free, beautiful hair
that stays smooth and
manageable for months.
(Canadian website)
IBS Beauty i-Straight (Also known as
Formaldehyde Health Canada
Love-Straight), is the safest level of 2.3% 2010C
and most effective system for
straightening the different
types, conditions, and
textures of light curls to the
most stubborn kinky hair
type.
Cadiveu
Before Cadiveu USA entered Formaldehyde Health Canada
into its Distribution
level of 7%
2010C
Agreement with Cadiveu
Brazil, we were assured that
Cadiveu’s chemists were not
relying on formaldehyde in
their formulas. To confirm
this, we hired an independent
lab to test the products
thoroughly. The results of this
test confirmed that the
formula does not contain
formaldehyde as a functional
ingredient in the hair
smoothing process. As a
result we felt confident that
we were offering a safe
product, which is our primary
concern.
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Cadiveu’s panel of experts
explains, “Formaldehyde is a
gas and therefore cannot be
added to a cosmetic as an
ingredient. In fact,
Formaldehyde has never
been a cosmetic ingredient.
Most test methods commonly
used, are not suitable for
measuring Formaldehyde in
water-based cosmetic
products. Formaldehyde is
extremely unlikely in a waterbased cosmetic product to
exist beyond 0.005%.”
R&L
“None of our products
contain any fomaldehyde.
They are all fomaldehyde
FREE.”
Tahe
Formol Free
Brazilan
Gloss
Formaldehyde
level > 0.2%
IMB 2010A,
IMB 2010B
Formaldehyde IMB 2010A,
level > 0.2%
IMB 2010B
Keratin treatment does not Formaldehyde Columbia
make use of any harsh
level up to 7.3% Analytical
chemicals. … At-home kits
Services 2010,
for keratin treatments are also
Oregon OSHA
available. The price for at2010B
home kits starts from $250.
For getting this treatment
done, always consult a
professional stylist.
Knowledge about this
treatment in advance can also
help you in making a smarter
choice. If the treatment is
done properly, it will leave
even the most rough hair look
smooth and very easy to
style.
Precautions:
Whether you get this
treatment done at a salon or
use an at-home kit, make
sure that that keratin product
you use contains less than 2%
formaldehyde.
Keratin
express
The current Keratin Express Formaldehyde
formula contains no known level of 1.2%
formaldehyde or
formaldehyde donors. To
confirm this, we had an
independent lab conduct tests
to measure any detectable
formaldehyde both at room
temperature and when heated
to 450 degrees for five
minutes. The testing
confirmed no formaldehyde
with the exception of a trace
amount (.00017%),
Oregon OSHA
2010B
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attributable to possible
residual from other product
filling or cleaning on our
production line.
QOD
Unlike formaldehyde-based Formaldehyde Oregon OSHA
keratin treatments, QOD’s level up to 3.5% 2010B, FDA
Brazilian Keratin products do
FOIA 2010
not contain industrially
manufactured raw
formaldehyde. Instead, we
have invested ten years of
research in a patented
process that mimics the
effects of formaldehyde, and
is readily accepted by the
FDA. Still, we choose not to
market our products as
“formaldehyde free.” This is
usually a disingenuous
marketing gimmick, and
potentially even harmful.
KeraGreen Our exclusive formulation – Formaldehyde Oregon OSHA
non toxic, formaldehyde free, level of 1.6% 2010B
rich with organic and natural
ingredients – sets us apart
from all other keratin hair
treatments in the market and
makes us relevant in a time
when Green is in!
Simply
“No! This is formaldehyde Formaldehyde Columbia
Smooth
free.”
level up to
Analytical
American
0.93%
Services 2010
Culture Hair
Goleshlee In the FAQ section of the
Formaldehyde AFSSAPS 2010
Goleshlee website it is stated level > 0.6%
that the products contain 2%
formaldehyde. No
information on the keratin
product pages and no
mention of formaldehyde is
given in the product
ingredient lists.
Spazzola
No information about the use Formaldehyde
Progressiva of formaldehyde is providied. level > 0.6%
AFSSAPS 2010
Who says formaldehyde is in the bottle
Many experts debunk hair straightener makers’ claims that the formaldehyde-water solution “methylene glycol” is not formaldehyde:
American Chemistry Council
The chemical industry trade group’s formaldehyde panel, which represents the “producers, users, and suppliers of formaldehyde and formaldehyde products,”
takes the position that “the scientific community widely considers methylene glycol as ‘formaldehyde in solution.’ Thus, both formaldehyde gas and formaldehyde
reacted in water determine the formaldehyde content of a product” (ACC 2010).
Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration
This Oregon state agency asserts that “a hyper-technical argument over appropriate chemical nomenclature does not alter the applicable workplace health and
safety requirements, nor should it be allowed to disguise the risks” (Oregon OSHA, 2010B).
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHA’s workplace safety standards for formaldehyde cover “all occupational exposures to formaldehyde, i.e. from formaldehyde gas, its solutions, and
materials that release formaldehyde” (OSHA 1992).
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Environmental Protection Agency
In the EPA draft risk assessment for formaldehyde, the agency describes the mechanism by which formaldehyde solutions result in free formaldehyde exposures.
It says that in a living organism, free formaldehyde leaves the water solution and binds with serum proteins and cellular components” (EPA 2010B).
EPA uses the term “formaldehyde” to cover both free formaldehyde gas and methylene glycol, or formaldehyde solution, on its inventory of chemicals
manufactured or imported into the U.S. (EPA 2010A).
Academia
Dr. Alan Schusterman, a chemistry professor at Reed College, writes, “if I am exposed to methylene glycol, will I be exposed to formaldehyde? The answer to
this is unequivocally YES. [The] equilibrium, Formaldehyde + Water = Methylene Glycol, is completely reversible at room temperature and methylene glycol
spontaneously decomposes to make formaldehyde + water. I can think of no simpler way to expose a person to formaldehyde than to expose [him] to a
methylene glycol solution” (Shusterman 2010).
Health agencies
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Health Canada, Irish Medicines Board, French Agency for the Safety of Health Products, and agencies in
Germany and Cyprus have collectively recalled 22 products (ACCC 2010, AFSSAPS 2010, Health Canada 2010B, Health Canada 2010C, IMB 2010A, IMB
2010B, Irish NCA 2010, RAPEX 2010).
Cosmetics industry
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an industry-funded and self-policing body, originally assessed the safety of formaldehyde in 1984 and re-reviewed its
safety in 2003. Its current recommendation is that use should be “limited to 0.2% as free formaldehyde but [kept] to a minimum; and should not be used in
products intended to be aerosolized” (CIR 2010A). In 2010 the international nomenclature committee of the Personal Care Products Council added methylene
glycol to a list of cosmetic ingredients separate from formaldehyde (PCPC et al. 2010).
The panel reached tentative conclusions in its March 2011 meeting. The chemical name “formaldehyde” was replaced with “formaldehyde/methylene glycol.” The
CIR also determined that formaldehyde should not be used in products intended to be aerosolized to include products that would produce
formaldehyde/methylene glycol vapor or gas under conditions of use. This conclusion would effectively prohibit the use of these ingredients in hair-straightening
products at any level (CIR 2011B).
Name games: What is methylene glycol? Understanding the chemistry
A little background on the chemistry of formaldehyde goes a long way in understanding the fallacy of hair-straighteners’ “formaldehyde-free” boasts.
Formaldehyde is a gas at room temperature (NIST, 2008). To make handling easier it is usually mixed with water and sold as a liquid labeled “formalin” or
“formaldehyde solution.” A molecule of water reacts with a molecule of formaldehyde to form methylene glycol (also referred to as methanediol, formaldehyde
monohydrate, or formaldehyde in water). Very little free formaldehyde remains as a gas in solution, but the reaction is fast and completely reversible. For every
molecule of free formaldehyde that remains in the solution, there will be 1,820 molecules of methylene glycol (Dasgupta 1986). If an analyst measures only the
gaseous formaldehyde in solution the result will be 1,820 lower than the actual amount of available formaldehyde, because methylene glycol reverts to free
formaldehyde almost immediately upon contact with air or skin.
When free formaldehyde evaporates from solution or reacts with skin, the remaining methylene glycol solution will release more free formaldehyde gas nearly
instantaneously. This process will repeat until the methylene glycol is completely gone. Heat from hair driers and flat irons speeds the reaction. A hairstraightening session will release significant amounts of formaldehyde gas.
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