According to women’s magazines, Brazilian straightening is “rage” in hair salons. But according to the National Health Security Agency (ANSES), this hair care technique, which consists of injecting keratin into the hair before passing it through heating plates, is not free of health risks. The ANSES, together with the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) and the Ministry of Health, issued a “warning about the risks associated with hair straightening products”. The cause is glyoxylic acid, the chemical agent used to straighten hair and keep it shiny for several months.
Since the beginning of the year, ANSES has received, within the framework of its new cosmetovigilance mission, four reports of acute kidney failure after the Brazilian hair transplant. Likewise, the DGCCRF and the Ministry of Health “recommend against” the use of straightening products containing glyoxylic acid. The warning applies to hairdressers and their clients, but also to people who apply these preparations at home.
“It is absolutely necessary to convey the message, especially to younger people, not to have Brazilian hair straightening, affirms to World Juliette Bloch, director of alerts and surveillance at Anses. He is Obviously there are many other cases that, today, do not attract our attention. Brazilian straightenings are very common, they are not reserved for afro hairstyles. » Today, few doctors link the symptoms of kidney failure with the relief of the disease.
People without history
Signs of kidney failure appear a few hours after exposure to glyoxylic acid. They manifest as abdominal or lower back pain, nausea or even vomiting. In three of the four cases reported to ANSES, the severity of the kidney failure required hospitalization. The latest victim left the hospital on Monday, October 14 after several days of treatment. This is a 28-year-old young woman. “Increasingly, these are people with no history and in whom we do not expect kidney problems.explains Juliette Bloch. This is not trivial. Even if we manage to treat these acute insufficiencies through hyperhydration, in the long term they can cause chronic kidney failure. »
Currently, glyoxylic acid is not subject to any restrictions in cosmetics. In straightening preparations, it replaced formaldehyde, whose use in this area was banned in 2019 due to its carcinogenic potential. ANSES launched an expert evaluation on the renal toxicity of glyoxylic acid when applied to hair. Expected for the end of the year, it should make it possible to propose an evolution of the European regulatory provisions: restriction or prohibition.
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