Formaldehyde-free hair-straightening treatments still pose risks, causing liver damage in recent cases
Hair permission products without formaldehyde have gained popularity as an option potentially safer than their counterparts containing formaldehyde – but a new series of medical cases calls into question the safety of these alternative products.
The formaldehyde – as well as the liquid forms of the chemical, called formalin and methylene glycol – is added to the products of the maintenance and the fixing of preservative extend the shelf life and for Help locking hair texture in place for a long time.
However, in recent years, various countries have decided to prohibit the chemical product from hair maintenance products due to health problems.
When heated, as during these hair treatments, formaldehyde is released in the air in the form of gas. This can cause immediate problems, such as skin irritation, cough, whistling breathing and a burning sensation in the eyes. But especially when this happens several times, exposure to formaldehyde can also cause long -term problems such as Fertility problems,, asthma and a high risk of cancer, as Nasopharyngeal leukemia and cancers.
Given these problems, the formaldehyde versions of these products are often presented as safer options. But that does not mean that they are harmless, according to the new series of cases, published on August 28 in the journal Clinical toxicology. In particular, the report highlights a potential risk of renal lesions linked to glyoxylic acid, an ingredient found in many products of hair rights without formaldehyde that serve as A recovery agent.
The report details the cases of 13 women and adolescents who were treated at the Surasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv after exposure to hair reduction products without formaldehyde. Patients began to feel sick within two to 72 hours of the substance of these hair maintenance treatments in various salons.
“Even before these studies were published,” wrote the authors of the study, “our medical toxicology service had started to receive similar reports, which prompted us to visit local hairdressing salons, including the illegal salons mentioned by affected patients, where we discovered the presence of glyoxylic acid in labor products.”
In relation: Hair reduction products contain chemicals that strengthen the risk of cancer, kidney injury and breathing problems
The 13 patients, which varied from 15 to 53 years, developed symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain and rashes. Twelve of patients have developed an acute renal lesion, as evidenced by an accumulation of creatinine of waste in their blood, a decrease in the production of urine and the presence of small crystals in the urine they expelled.
The only person who did not develop a renal lesion had received a treatment very quickly – they were admitted to the hospital only after their hair treatment, and within two hours of admission, he was sentenced to thiamine and pyridoxine, who are B vitamins supposed to help the body break down glyoxylic acid.
In addition to finding products containing glyoxylic acid in the salons that their patients have visited, the toxicology team of the medical center also found that some of the salons had inadequate ventilation.
The patients stayed in the hospital between one and 10 days. None of the patients need to filter their blood with hemodialysis and no deaths occurred.
It should be noted that the series of cases included relatively few patients, did not include any renal biopsy and was partly carried out retrospectively, because the authors turn to the cases which took place between April 2021 and March 2025. However, this is not the first time that glyoxylic acid has been linked to renal problems. Hair products containing the ingredient have been linked to renal injuries anecdotal reports And in a case of woman of Repeated kidney damageFor example.
“These results highlight a potentially under-recognized risk of renal toxicity associated with hair products containing glyoxylic acid,” concluded the authors. “Rapid recognition and early treatment, in particular with thiamine and pyridoxin, can reduce the severity of renal lesions. Additional studies and regulatory actions are necessary to better define the risk and prevent future cases.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seemed Discuss to prohibit formaldehyde in hair and hairstyle products In April 2024. However, the proposed decision was postponed several times in 2024, and the effort Not progress in 2025. For the moment, the The FDA simply discourages consumers the purchase and use of hair products containing formaldehyde or related ingredients.
Some experts have said that glyoxylic acid should also be prohibited from maintenance and smoothing products, but no movement has been carried out on this front.
This article is for information only and is not supposed to offer medical advice.
