OREGON, USA — In the fall of 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a ban of formaldehyde, a highly toxic chemical found in hair-straightening products that is believed to have links to hormonal cancers.
In September, the FDA missed its deadline for that ban. And across the country, beauty companies that supply these products face several lawsuits about their carcinogenic affects — including one from an Oregon woman.
When you hear the word formaldehyde, your mind likely goes to things like medical research and preserving tissue in jars in a lab somewhere. But the strong-smelling compound is used in an number of things: building materials, paints, pesticides, the preservation of dead bodies, paper products and even cosmetics…