In October, in what could turn into a landmark case, a Missouri woman sued cosmetics company L'Oréal, claiming that her uterine cancer was caused by prolonged exposure to phthalates chemicals that were ingredients in her hair straightening product. The filing of the suit coincided with the publication of a journal article finding an “association” between the use of hair products containing the chemicals and uterine cancer.
The FDA’s recent notice that it would move to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products comes more than a decade after researchers raised alarms about health risks.
In April, a dozen years after a federal agency classified formaldehyde a human carcinogen, the Food and Drug Administration is tentatively scheduled to unveil a proposal to consider banning the
The FDA’s glacial response to concerns about formaldehyde and other hazardous chemicals in hair straighteners partly reflects the agency’s limited powers when it comes to cosmetics and personal-care products.
The FDA’s glacial response to concerns about formaldehyde and other hazardous chemicals in hair straighteners partly reflects the agency’s limited powers when it comes to cosmetics and personal-care products.