EWG News release
Calif. Announces Brazilian Blowout Settlement
Environmental Working Group issued the following statement in response to the settlement between California and the manufacturer of the chemical hair treatment Brazilian Blowout:
"This is welcome news for consumers in California, but companies can still use the cancer-causing chemical in their products that are sold throughout the country," said Heather White, Chief of Staff and General Counsel for EWG. "Today's action was directed only at the makers of Brazilian Blowout for products sold in California, but our investigation found 16 companies include formaldehyde in their hair smoothing products. The federal FDA needs to ban formaldehyde as an ingredient in these popular products so consumers and salon workers are not inhaling a known human carcinogen. Period."
The settlement follows the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel, a scientific advisory board established by the major American cosmetics manufacturers, conclusion that formaldehyde is unsafe for use in hair products. The federal Food and Drug Administration warned Brazilian Blowout this past August that their product containing carcinogenic formaldehyde is “adulterated” and “misbranded.”
An April 2011 survey by EWG found dozens of top salons still promoting formaldehyde-laced hair straighteners despite the mounting evidence of the risks to stylists and clients.
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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment and can be found at www.ewg.org.