Washington, D.C. – Environmental Working Group issued the following statement this afternoon in response to the federal Food and Drug Administration’s warning to Brazilian Blowout that the company’s product containing carcinogenic formaldehyde is “adulterated” and “misbranded.”
“FDA’s recent action is a critical first step to getting this dangerous and very popular product off the market,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research. “Now FDA must apply the same pressure to the other companies that also peddle similar products laced with the cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde.”
In its own investigation earlier this year, EWG found that a total of 16 companies (including Brazilian Blowout) used high levels of the chemical as an ingredient in those products.
Following its report on the investigation, EWG petitioned FDA to prohibit the use of formaldehyde in hair straighteners, including Brazilian Blowout.
Since testing revealed formaldehyde in Brazilian Blowout a number of groups have advocated on behalf of salon workers, including the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance.
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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment and can be found at www.ewg.org.
