France turns the spotlight to Glyoxylic Acid in hair straightening products

Ingredients: GLYOXYLIC ACID

Date of publication: 16/10/2024

On October 16, 2024, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) issued a warning about products containing glyoxylic acid, which is commonly used in hair styling cosmetics for straightening and curling treatments.

What’s new?

The ANSES report highlighted four cases of acute kidney failure associated with the use of Glyoxylic Acid-containing products, as identified through France’s national cosmetovigilance system.

What now?

Currently, Glyoxylic Acid is not restricted or banned in the European Union or the United Kingdom, nor is it included in any upcoming regulatory restrictions. However, based on findings from assessments by France’s Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) and the Directorate General for Health (DGS), the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) may be called upon to evaluate its safety.

Although ANSES’s final conclusions are still pending, both the DGCCRF and the DGS currently advise against using hair straightening products containing Glyoxylic Acid due to the associated risks.

References:

ANSES (2024). Warning on the risks of hair straightening products containing glyoxylic acid

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