The Food and Drug Administration has submitted a proposal to ban a dangerous chemical from being used in hair relaxers to make kinky to curly hair straight. The move comes months after two African American congresswomen brought the hazard to the agency’s attention, launching a preventative campaign they believe will save lives.
U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Shontel Brown initially reached out in March 2023 to the FDA to inform them that many relaxers on the market have the carcinogen called formaldehyde in their hair-straightening formulae.
The letter comes after the 2022 update on the FDA’s website where the agency talks about the dangers of some hair products, offering tips on how to stay safe and report problems or injury related to their use.
“Hair dye is used to color your hair. Hair relaxers are used to make your hair straight. Both hair dye and hair relaxers can hurt your skin, hair, and eyes, especially if you are not careful,” the blurb reads. “Some of these problems can be prevented. Get the facts before using hair dyes and hair relaxers.”
Also on their website is a section titled, “Formaldehyde in Hair Smoothing Products: What You Should Know.”
This section explains what the chemical does but also that it is “a known human carcinogen” and is “classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and formaldehyde exposure can cause both short- and long-term health effects.”
Still, it did not have it on the banned list.
In 2022, a Missouri woman named Jenny Mitchell initiated a lawsuit against L’Oréal USA and several other hair straightener manufacturers.
She alleged that their products, which she used since she was 18, contributed to her uterine cancer diagnosis, leading to a hysterectomy a decade later. Upon discovering her cancer during fertility treatment inquiries, Jenny sought legal assistance from Ben Crump and Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann, resulting in a mass tort…
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