Article date: 18/11/2004
American NBC Consumer Health Report
While most consumers know their hair products by brand name instead of ingredients, questions are being raised about whether consumers are too trusting when it comes to the products they lather and slather up top, Target 5's Lisa Parker reported.
Like any complicated recipe, when it comes to hair products, most consumers only care about the end result - whether the product gives their hair more volume or curl, whether there is less frizz, or the product gives them that intangible something. But behind the claims on the labels are some ingredients as unregulated as boxing promoter Don King's hair.
"That's where the concern comes in," said Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group. "We are using so many products with so many ingredients -- there are no safety testing requirements and no federal restrictions of what can and cannot be used in cosmetics."
The Food and Drug Administration -- the federal agency charged with overseeing food and drug safety -- has absolutely no authority over what goes in the personal care products sold in this country, Parker reported. The FDA can't require companies to do safety testing, can't get manufacturers to file data on ingredients, can't get them to disclose information about cosmetic-related injuries -- or force them to recall hazardous products.
"Is that reason enough to toss your gloss?" Parker asked.
Cosmetologists said consumers should hold onto their hair products. They're better than ever -- although harder to decipher.
"They're designed to hold, to lift, to add shine," said Diane Moltagi of the National Cosmetology Association. "If you were to go to a store to pick up a bottle of shampoo, conditioner or hairspray, you would need to bring your chemistry book with you."
And perhaps a biology book, Parker reported. Houlihan said the real question is what the long-term effects are of using hair products.
"We're exposing ourselves to a lot of chemicals," Houlihan said. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. So as a consumer right now, you have to step back and say, 'Is this worth it? Can I cut down on the number of things I am using?'"
The average American woman, according to the Environmental Working Group's study, uses 12 personal care products a day -- that includes several hair products, Parker reported. The average man uses six.
According to the Environmental Working Group's study of 7,500 personal care products, 89 percent of the ingredients in cosmetics have never been assessed for safety. The group puts hair dyes high on its list of products to avoid -- and some headlines from Europe seem to back that up, Parker reported.
In 2000, a British woman reportedly died within an hour of using a hair dye called "Movida" by L'Oreal. Her death was blamed on a severe allergic reaction to the dye. More than a dozen other women reported severe burns from the same product, according to class-action attorneys, who allege the company's line -- promoted in part by singer Beyonce -- downplays the potential risk attached to the products.
A L'Oreal representative said the company has "total confidence in the safety of its products" and said "allergic reactions are rare."
The cosmetic industry says the concerns are much ado about nothing, Parker reported. They say consumers can have complete confidence in these products because manufacturers make sure they're safe.