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Willing to pay a premium for sleek, straight hair? What if the premium was your health?
WWD reports that the state of California has filed a lawsuit against GIB LLC, a.k.a. the Brazilian Blowout company because the smooth-hair-hawkers failed to disclose that the salon treatment contains formaldehyde, a product banned by California's Safe Cosmetics Act. Earlier this year, scientists at Oregon's Health & Science University discovered that the products contained the hazardous chemical after "stylists at two Portland-based salons complained of eye irritation, burning moses and other symptoms," says the paper. On its website and in its marketing and promotional materials, Brazilian Blowout explicitly claims to be "formaldehyde free."
According to the National Cancer Institute, formaldehyde has been "classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer." Research conducted on people who are exposed to formaldehyde through their work have made links between exposure to the chemical and nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.
· California Sues Brazilian Blowout [WWD]
· Risk: formaldehyde [National Cancer Institute]
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