Richmond, Virginia (investigation tv) — Sadie Johnson was in sixth grade when she started undergoing chemotherapy to straighten her hair.
For the next 40 years, the Virginia resident endured scalp burns and sores every two weeks.
“At first it was bad. My scalp was burning and I had little sores in my hair. I thought it was just part of the process,” Johnson said. “It took 10 minutes. At that time, she hadn’t finished perming my entire head. By the time she finished perming my hair, my head was on fire.”
Ms. Johnson’s experience is representative of that of countless black women who have felt pressured to conform to beauty standards imposed in the 19th century through painful chemical treatments called “perms,” sometimes referred to in the black community as “relaxers.”
These relaxers were meant to keep coarse hair straight for several weeks and help assimilate into society.
“I’m 68 years old, so my natural hair was considered ‘naughty’ hair,” Johnson said. “It was standard beauty. There were beauty standards imposed on me, like not having enough hair.”
The experience was so painful that Johnson said she “struggled to get to the bowl” to rinse. She said her stylist had applied petroleum jelly to her scalp to protect it before chemotherapy, but the stinging continued.
She also recalled the distinct chemical smell during the treatment and compared it to formaldehyde, which is used to preserve animals in science class.
“It smelled like…a science class, and there were animals in the jars. [had] Formaldehyde or whatever,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s decades of chemical treatment eventually took its toll. Her hair started thinning from the top of her head and she developed medical problems that her dermatologist linked to the use of harsh chemicals.
But Johnson’s story is not unique. InvestigateTV has found that popular hair straightening and hair smoothing products may contain chemicals known to cause cancer and other health problems.
Years of research and complaints have shown that there are potential problems with products marketed to people with curly or textured hair, and many products with these chemicals are still on the market. This issue disproportionately affects African American women.
InvestigateTV requested and obtained Food and Drug Administration documents showing hundreds of complaints that have occurred around the world since 2004, when research into the link between formaldehyde and cancer began. This document features hundreds of people who have reported results that appear to be related to chemical curling irons.
Complaints included baldness, hair loss, blisters, scarring, and even hospitalization after applying the product to the entire head.
One review reported that a 54-year-old woman experienced severe inflammation of her scalp and forehead, and her eyes became swollen and nearly closed.
In another case, a consumer reported that she “used the product according to the instructions and left the product on her hair for 10 minutes before rinsing. When she rinsed her hair, half of her hair fell out and the rest “looked absolutely awful.” Not only was she burnt, but she also lost most of her hair. ”
The report also records chemical burns and a cancer diagnosis.
The main chemical of concern in many of these products is formaldehyde. Because it is a toxic gas, Serious health risks to both consumers and salon employees According to the National Cancer Institute, it has been linked to eye problems, respiratory problems, and even certain types of cancer, including those of the ovaries.
“Formaldehyde is one of the active ingredients that makes the product work, making hair so shiny, smooth and straight that it can stay that way for months at a time,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit advocacy group Environmental Working Group.
For many years Benesh and EWG asked FDA to ban formaldehyde Excluded from use by cosmetic companies.
“We’ve been working on this problem for over 10 years,” Benesh said. “We received reports related to formaldehyde, and there were a lot of them. There were a lot of women who experienced health problems after receiving or undergoing these treatments.”
Formaldehyde is classified by the EPA as a known carcinogen.
The FDA says formaldehyde and two related ingredients, formalin and methylene glycol, are some of the chemicals consumers should list on labels.
“When liquid formaldehyde (sometimes sold as methylene glycol in these products) is heated, large amounts of formaldehyde gas can be released,” Benesh said.
EWG published a report in 2011, and in the same year filed its first public petition with the FDA asking it to consider banning formaldehyde in hair straightening products. they submitted A second petition was filed in 2021, again calling for formaldehyde to be banned in hair products.
Despite national concerns, the FDA has not banned the ingredient, missing a fifth deadline to propose a ban on formaldehyde products.
Since 2024, the InvestigateTV team has been reaching out to the FDA for interviews and comments. As a result of our efforts, an FDA spokesperson said:
The FDA’s proposed rule, “Use of Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals as Ingredients in Hair Smoothing or Straightening Products,” continues to be an FDA priority.
The agency further stated that FDA may adjust the publication dates of this and other proposed regulations as necessary, and that several factors, including administrative priorities, emerging public health, and other issues, may impact the ability to finalize the regulations.
InvestigateTV also reached out to companies mentioned in FDA complaints regarding various ingredients and products. L’Oreal was the only company that answered our questions. public relations person Said:
“Our top priority is the health and well-being of all our consumers. Our products are subject to rigorous scientific evaluation for safety by experts, and we also ensure that they are in strict compliance with all regulations in every market in which we operate.”
L’Oréal does not add formaldehyde as an ingredient to its products in any market worldwide. We welcome and support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal throughout the beauty industry. ”
Frustrated by the government’s inaction, some women have gone to court to sue companies that use formaldehyde in chemical hair straightening products.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing several people in the class action lawsuit. Those lawsuits are still pending.
“European beauty standards being forced onto women of color and women feeling the need to try to fit hair relaxers into corporate America is detrimental to our health,” Crump said. “They’re so prevalent that even gas stations sell them. We want the FDA to take action.”
As women wait for regulatory changes, many are ditching relaxants altogether.
Johnson made the transition in 2015.
“I’ve always had a sense of pride, a sense of who I am. My mother used to say, ‘One day you’ll wake up and you’ll know,'” Johnson said. “Now I know what she means. I know what she means.”
FDA may adjust the expected publication dates of this and other proposed regulations as necessary. Several factors that may impact FDA’s ability to propose and finalize regulations include, for example, administrative priorities, emerging public health issues, or other extenuating circumstances. FDA will periodically update the expected publication dates of future rulemakings. unified agenda, Published every six months. The Uniform Agenda is published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and reports on ongoing regulatory actions that federal agencies plan to issue in the short and long term. For more information about rules and rule creation, visit: FDA rules and regulations and Frequently Asked Questions page on the Reginfo.gov site.
