U.S. FDA proposes ban on hair-straightening chemicals. What about Canada?

The FDA is considering a ban on certain hair-straightening chemicals that have been used by Black women for years and that research shows may increase the risk of uterine cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a ban on certain hair-straightening chemicals that have been used by Black women for years and that research shows may increase the risk of uterine cancer.

But Black hair stylists say such products — specifically the ones being looked at by the FDA, which contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — have fallen out of favour, especially among younger generations.

“Relaxers have taken an extreme decline … as we became more knowledgeable about the effects of the relaxer on your hair and what it can do to your hair,” said Kayleigh Butler, a hair stylist in Atlanta who remembers getting relaxers when she was five years old. She added, “I think people just wanted to move away from that and live a healthier lifestyle.”

The FDA is in the first steps of the process: The notice of a possible rule was recently added to its regulatory agenda. The agency aims to publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking by April 2024, but items can stay on the agenda for years.

The possible rule would apply to both salon-grade and at-home products, FDA spokesperson Courtney Rhodes said.

Although a ban has not been implemented or proposed in Canada, in 2014 the federal health regulator put in place restrictions on the use of formaldehyde in hair-straightening products, a spokesperson from Health Canada told Global News in an email on Thursday.

The restrictions were meant to “address the known health risks posed by these chemicals. The U.S. does not currently restrict the use of these chemicals in hair-straightening products,” the spokespersons said.

Hair-straightening products sold in Canada that involve blow-drying or flat ironing (which can produce or release formaldehyde vapors) must adhere to a standard where the concentration of formaldehyde does not exceed more 0.01 per cent, the spokesperson said.