Hair Straightening Products Linked to Cancer Faced With FDA Ban

Federal regulators may soon crack down on hair straightening products that use cancer-causing chemicals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a new proposal to ban products that expose users to formaldehyde. 

Formaldehyde is a toxic gas used as a preservative in some food, medicine and cosmetics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The FDA cited evidence that products including formaldehyde and other chemicals such as methylene glycol, which releases formaldehyde, have been linked to both short and long term health issues, including allergic reaction, breathing issues and increased cancer risk. 

“These chemicals are used in certain cosmetic products that are applied to human hair as part of a combination of chemical and heating tool treatment intended to smooth or straighten the hair,” the FDA proposal read. 

These products are largely marketed and sold to Black women. Research published last week as part of Boston University’s Black Women’s Health Study found that Black women who reported using hair relaxers more than twice a year or for more than five years had a more than 50% increased risk of developing uterine cancer. 

In recent years, major studies have also confirmed that people who use chemical hair-straightening products were at a higher risk for uterine, breast and ovarian cancer. 

Researchers have pointed to several chemicals commonly found in straighteners, including formaldehyde, as potential culprits.  

The FDA does not monitor the safety of individual hair dyes or relaxers, it notes on its official website. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer does list formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen. The World Health Organization has also lists formaldehyde as a carcinogen since 2012. 

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) called on the FDA in March to investigate “whether publicly available chemical hair straightening products contain carcinogens that lead to a higher risk of uterine cancer.” They applauded the FDA’s ban proposal earlier this month. 

“The FDA’s proposal to ban these harmful chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers is a win for public health – especially the health of Black women who are disproportionately put at risk by these products as a result of systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment,” Pressley said in a statement. “Regardless of how we wear our hair, we should be allowed to show up in the world without putting our health at risk. I applaud the FDA for being responsive to our calls and advancing a rule that will help prevent manufacturers from making a profit at the expense of our health. The Administration should finalize this rule without delay.”