It seems that California has filed a lawsuit against Brazilian Blowout manufacturer called GIB LLC. There’s always been a controversy surrounding the Brazilian Blowout hair straightening treatment as it seemed too beautiful to be true. The manufacturer claimed the product to be completely SAFE and FORMALDEHYDE FREE, which according to tests performed in a laboratory of Oregon Health & Science University’s Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology.
It seems that two hairstylists have complained about eye irritation and other symptoms after using the product and have sent samples from their salon products to be tested! The test was positive for formaldehyde and according to the California’s Safe Cosmetics Act any products which contain a certain amount of formaldehyde needs to have this ingredients written on the label.
The state attorney general’s office of California, Jerry Brown, has stated in the lawsuit paperwork that the Brazilian Blowout company has “knowingly and intentionally exposed salon workers and costumers to formaldehyde”.
Formaldehyde is known to be toxic for the human health and it is considered an allergenic and carcinogenic chemical compound. At concentrations higher than 0.1 ppm (parts per million), formaldehyde can cause eye irritations, headaches, a burning throat sensation, difficulty in breathing as well as aggravate asthma symptoms.
Studies have shown a link between formaldehyde and sinus cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and possibly leukemia, factors which have put formaldehyde in the class of human carcinogen chemical compounds.
GIB LLC seems to contest the results of the samples used for testing, the samples which has lead to this scandal. Thus the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has tested about 100 more samples to get a more accurate result. The samples were collected from over 50 salons throughout Oregon and all the samples confirmed the previous testing results. The highest amount of formaldehyde content came from the Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, which showed a an average formaldehyde content of about 8.68%. Other brands as well showed a formaldehyde content of over 0.1%.
According to the laws of Oregon, any product which contains a higher percent then 0.1 in formaldehyde must include this compound in the ingredients list written on the product’s label. It seems that the Brazilian Blowout hair straightening treatment has been promoted as “formaldehyde free” and “safe” which contradicts the testing and thus the laws of Oregon. We hope the controvert regarding the Brazilian Blowout will soon be resolved and that everything will remain clear: safe or not safe?!
Source: wwd.com