Cape Town - South Africans obsessed with keeping their hair straight may be putting their lives in danger.
UCT researchers have warned that most commercial “Brazilian keratin type” hair-straightening products contain “unacceptably high and dangerous concentrations of formaldehyde”.
The latest study – which has been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatologists – suggests that not only do these hair products contain unacceptable levels of formaldehyde, most are falsely labelled suggesting they are free of the chemical.
Out of seven products tested in South Africa, which were advertised as international brands, most contained illegal concentrations of the carcinogen ranging from 0.96 percent to 1.4 percent. This was five times higher than the legal limit, which limits its concentration to less than 0.2 percent. About five products were labelled as formaldehyde-free even though they contained the chemical.
In the US, concentrations of formaldehyde were found to be even higher in some products, reaching eight percent.
Formaldehyde, which is used in a liquid form and is regarded as unstable in a gaseous state, is in various products, mostly as a preservative, including cosmetics, disinfectants, nail polishes and nail hardeners.
According to researchers, high concentrations of formaldehyde in the wood industry, for instance, were used under strict air control regulations, but in most hairdressing salons where the product was used daily, this was not necessarily the case.
The latest research is likely to raise eyebrows as many South African women use the Brazilian keratin treatments to keep their hair straight for longer.
According to a Cape Argus snap survey it costs anything from R750 to more than R2 000 to have the treatment done at Cape Town hair salons, depending on the length and thickness of your hair. Traditionally people have straightened hair using heat, but in recent years the Brazilian hair treatment has become popular because of its effect of keeping hair straight for longer.
According to UCT, Brazilian keratin treatment and similar hair-straightening products “fix and retain a straight shape even when the hair is wet”.
A Brazilian mortician is said to have invented the method.
According to lead researcher Professor Nonhlanhla Khumalo, formaldehyde is not only classified as a carcinogen, but it is also associated with eye and skin reactions and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Chronic exposure to it was associated with respiratory and blood cancers including leukaemia and lymphomas.
Researchers raised concerns about the lack of regulation of cosmetic products, saying false labelling of products as formaldehyde-free exposed unsuspecting consumers and hairdressers to adverse effects.
“Unlike pharmaceutical companies there is no requirement to produce evidence of rigorous safety testing before marketing new cosmetics. However, perhaps it is time that products known to contain potentially harmful ingredients should be required to clearly list concentrations on labels. Random tests could then be used to monitor and influence industry practice in the interest of consumer safety and occupational health,” said researchers.
Cape Argus