As research on the hazards of formaldehyde continues to advance, the FDA is making serious efforts to ban the use of products that contain or emit formaldehyde, such as hair relaxers and keratin treatments. Formaldehyde] is carcinogenic," says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. 'Since hair straightening is often done in salons, it can be difficult to find products that contain this ingredient.' Cosmetic chemist Alexandra Arriaga also warns to be wary of formalin and methylene glycol listed on labels for home use.

The proposed ban, targeted for April 2024, would change the chemical hair straightening and smoothing landscape by making many common products and services unavailable in the home and professional categories. However, according to Benjamin Knight Hooks R.P., cosmetic chemist and developer of Truth Treatment Systems, the ban will not eliminate hair straightening techniques. He tells me exclusively, "There are product options that do not contain formaldehyde, and hair care professionals and consumers can straighten their curls without coming in contact with potentially dangerous chemicals." "Some utilize argan oil, plant extracts, or tannin oil, while others use glyoxylic acid (or its derivatives) to straighten hair." A procedure called "Japanese Straightening" (also known as thermal reconditioning) uses an amino acid-based solution to achieve the same effect.

Doubts about the safety of formaldehyde in chemical hair straighteners became a hot topic in December 2022, when one study found that women who regularly use formaldehyde-containing products more than doubled their risk of endometrial cancer (aka, uterine cancer). It should be noted that hair straighteners and soft hair straighteners are most commonly marketed to and used by black women. While the overall incidence of uterine cancer has increased in recent years, it has increased most among women of color, including Asian and Hispanic women.

Even so, uterine cancer is a very rare disease. "The overall risk of uterine cancer is pretty low, so it's important to remember that," Crystal Aguh, MD, a hair specialist and associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a previous tweet." For now, if you want to change your routine, there is no downside to reducing the frequency of hair straightening to once every 12 weeks or more, which may reduce your risk."

Meanwhile, other studies have shown a link between hair straightening and breast and ovarian cancer; as the CDC explains, " exposure to formaldehyde can irritate the skin, throat, lungs, and eyes," while "repeated exposure to formaldehyde can cause cancer."

A possible ban is long overdue; in 2016, the FDA began drafting a rule for an update, but ultimately paused the initiative. "The FDA has known for decades now that these products are dangerous," said advocacy group Melanie Benesch, vice president of government relations for the Environmental Working Group, told The New York Times earlier this week. 'There is no reason why the FDA should not have acted sooner.'