California Finding Many Nail Products Claiming Toxin-Free, But Lab Tests Showing Otherwise

There has been a lot of attention given lately about toxic chemicals in nail polishes, especially those known the toxic trio – toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Many nail product manufacturers have either reformulated their products to remove these chemicals or just stopped making them altogether.

Image by Christy Thompson at Shutterstock.com.

Other manufacturers have only claimed to reformulate their products, but an investigative report done by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) found that, “Some of the toxic-free products actually contained higher levels of DBP or toluene than products which made no toxic-free claims.”

Deborah Raphael, director of the DTSC, said in a letter that the tests revealed that “most of the surveyed products were not free – as claimed – of toluene, which is restricted in cosmetics sold in the European Union. Most of the tests on the products that made the claims (of being toxic-free), in fact, revealed high concentrations of toluene, which may be harmful to women of child-bearing age.”

“DBP, which is banned from cosmetics in the EU, was also present in some products, one of which claimed to be DBP-free. Both toluene and DBP are listed as known to the State of California to cause reproductive toxicity,” added Raphael.

Regarding the toxic-trio, the report said that, “California has recognized that exposure to these chemicals is associated with cancer, birth defects, asthma, and other chronic health conditions.”

To obtain the data, the DTSC randomly sampled 25 nail care products from six different San Francisco Bay Area locations.

Twelve of the sampled products claimed to be free of at least one of the toxic-trio chemicals. However, the report found that 10 of these 12 products did contain toluene, and four of the 12 contained DBP.

“Toluene was found more frequently, and in higher concentrations in products with toxic-trio related claims than in traditional products,” said the report.

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Hair Straightening Product Maker Settles With California Over Charges of False Advertising

GIB LLC, the maker of the famous Brazilian Blowout hair straightening products has reached a settlement with the California Attorney General’s Office on multiple charges of false advertising in describing two of its most popular products as formaldehyde-free and safe.

Image courtesy of beautystats.com.

The complaint alleges that the two products – Brazilian Blowout Acai Smoothing Solution and Brazilian Blowout Professional Smoothing Solution – were mislabeled as formaldehyde-free, and the company made no attempt to inform customer that the products released formaldehyde gas into the air during hair treatments.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter with concerns about the products to the maker, saying that based on FDA sample analysis, Brazilian Blowout contains methylene glycol which releases formaldehyde when treated hair is heated with a blow dryer and then a hot flat iron.

The FDA said that methylene glycol is a toxic substance that at the levels present in these products could pose health problems, even when used as directed.

The FDA said that it received reports of “injuries associated with Brazilian Blowout,” including:

• Eye irritation.
• Blurred vision.
• Headaches.
• Burning sensations.
• Coughing.
• Nasal discomfort.
• Through irritation.
• Cheat pain or discomfort.
• Vomiting
• Rash.

In the FDA’s Hazard Alert Update it also found that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and several state OSHA programs were also investigating questions and complaints from hair salon owners and workers about possible formaldehyde exposure from straightening/smoothing products.

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