When it comes to styling and straightening hair, keratin treatments are a staple — but that may change as soon as April of this year.
"Keratin is a common protein found in skin," according to Dr. Rebecca Hartman, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. It can also be found in hair and nails. "In a keratin treatment, stylists will use heat to seal a keratin product into the hair," Hartman adds.
The "reported benefits" of using keratin treatments on hair are adding shine, reducing frizz and straightening hair with a longer-lasting effect than heat alone, she says.
But researchers are finding associations between using products that contain ingredients that many keratin treatments have and harmful effects on health.
"I think the real issue is not the keratin protein itself, which as I mentioned is in our skin, but other products that could be in such treatments," Hartman says.
"The FDA is considering a ban on hair straightening products that contain or emit formaldehyde. And actually, people can go and comment on this. They're going to collect the comments, and then by April 2024 make a decision."
Researchers discovered a link between frequent use of chemical hair straighteners and uterine cancer, especially in Black women, in 2022. Exposure to high amounts of formaldehyde has been linked to certain cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.
"We're seeing a rise in a certain aggressive subtype of uterine cancer, and black women actually have the highest risk of this aggressive subtype called non-endometrioid uterine cancer," Hartman says. "And interestingly, in the study looking at who uses hair straighteners, the majority were black women."
This finding has led to the FDA taking a closer look at various keratin treatments that "claim to be formaldehyde-free but contain a substance called methylene glycol, which converts to formaldehyde gas after coming in contact with air," according to the New York Times.
If a salon is not well-vented, then everyone in the salon is actually exposed to formaldehyde when these products are used.Dr. Rebecca HartmanAssistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School
The FDA notes that potential side effects from coming in contact with formaldehyde and similar ingredients are:
- Eye problems or irritation
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Sore or scratchy throat
- Wheezing
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Rash
- Chest pain
"There's also kind of like a secondhand smoke type of concern," Hartman says. "If a salon is not well-vented, then everyone in the salon is actually exposed to formaldehyde when these products are used."
Certain states, including California and Maryland, have already banned formaldehyde products from being sold to its residents; many companies will be faced with either altering their products' ingredients or being wiped off of shelves by 2025 in those states.
If the FDA decides to follow suit and ban hair-straightening products, including keratin treatments, that include formaldehyde and similar compounds, the target date for the ban will be April of 2024.
Until then, the agency recommends taking the following steps when using hair products:
- Read the label and look for these ingredients: formaldehyde, formalin, methylene glycol
- Ask your salon professional if any of the products they use for your hair include those ingredients
- Report any bad reactions to products with formaldehyde-related ingredients to the FDA
Hartman also suggests using the Environmental Working Group's online database to get a breakdown of the ingredients within different hair products and weed out products that pose health risks from those that have "clean" ingredients.
"Even independent of what the FDA does, I think these ingredients will get out of products, because like the car emission laws, companies are not going to make a separate product for California versus Texas," Hartman says.
"I think either way, we have good news that these dangerous products will get off our shelves."
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