Brazilian Blowout Found to Contain Formaldehyde in Oregon Tests

by Jordan Yerman | October 1, 2010 at 07:47 am

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Brazilian Blowout: Hair Straightener Tests Positive for Formaldehyde

The hair straightening product Brazilian Blowout is under the magnifying glass after local testing revealed the presence of formaldehyde.

After customers at an Oregon hair salon complained of eye irritation, nosebleeds and breathing problems after having their hair straightened, state officials took samples of Brazilian Blowout for testing, and discovered that those samples contained up to 10% formaldehyde.(Oregon Health & Science University Brazilian Blowout public health advisory-pdf)

Brazilian Blowout is advertised as formaldehyde-free. According to OSHA standards, any presence of formaldehyde above 0.1% requires clear labeling.

Chemists at the Oregon Occupation Heath and Safety Administration and the Oregon Health and Science University's Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology tested a sample from the complaining salon and from other salons in the area. They found that the samples contained significant levels of formaldehyde, even though the product was labeled as formaldehyde-free.

Brazilian Blowout: 'Our Product is Safe'

Brazilian Blowout issued a statement in regard to the findings, the company said that it is investigating the issue, but also blasted OSHA for releasing results from an unidentified testing source. Brazilian Blowout says that the sample that tested positive for formaldehyde did not come from its own company.

This represents a clear violation of proper testing protocol, and this gross negligence on the part of OSHA invalidates all findings that have been released as a result of OSHA's testing."