How to Identify Formaldehyde in Hair-Smoothing Products

March 1, 2012 — -- Five months ago, the federal government put out a hazard alert about the hair-smoothing treatment, Brazilian Blowout, warning that it contains liquid formaldehyde that can turn into formaldehyde gas when heated during a treatment. So we wanted to know whether salons are up-to-date on the news that the product does, indeed, contain a form of formaldehyde and whether they would share that information with us.

We visited 16 salons. Every salon told us they had no safety concerns. Twelve salons said the product contains very little formaldehyde. And four were not aware that it contained formaldehyde. The salons all had outdated versions of Brazilian Blowout's literature and bottles, which said "formaldehyde free."

Now, the company's bottles of solution carry a warning label to alert stylists to the potential formaldehyde risk and the need to perform the treatment in a well-ventilated area.

Brazilian Blowout says if the product is used as directed it is safe.

Brazilian Blowout isn't the only hair-smoothing treatment that contains formaldehyde. It's just gotten the most publicity. (To read Brazilian Blowout's statement to "Good Morning America", click here.)

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in an article you can find here on OSHA's website, the following products also contain formaldehyde, or can expose you to formaldehyde during use, even though they may not list formaldehyde on their labels or MSDSs:

Products OSHA Says Contain Formaldehyde or that can expose you to formaldehyde during use, even though they may not list formaldehyde on their labels or MSDSs:

The hair-smoothing products above are probably not the only ones that contain formaldehyde. Some manufacturers list synonyms for formaldehyde on their labels. They sometimes do this because the formaldehyde is dissolved in water or another substance and that changes its chemical composition slightly, giving the chemical a new name.

All of these are names for formaldehyde under OSHA's formaldehyde standard or can release formaldehyde when subjected to certain conditions, such as the heat involved in a hair smoothing treatment. OSHA has provided a list of what it calls "synonyms" for formaldehyde, printed here, and listed below.
Methylene glycol
Formalin
Methylene oxide
Paraform
Formic aldehyde
Methanal
Oxomethane
Oxymethylene
Timonacic acid
Thiazolidinecarboxylic acid

Three Federal agencies have investigated Brazilian Blowout and other hair-smoothing treatments. Oregon was the first to uncover problems. And California recently settled with the company. Here are several helpful links that explain their findings.

OSHA: Hazard alert

OSHA: Timeline of government actions

OSHA: Information about formaldehyde in hair-smoothing products

FDA: Warning Letter to Brazilian Blowout

FDA: Summary of actions on Brazilian Blowout

NIOSH: Letter summarizing testing at one salon

Oregon: Hazard Alert

California: Press Release Regarding Settlement