Ingredient Index

Are formaldehyde hair treatments banned in Europe?

Banned in EU

Yes: methylene glycol is formaldehyde dissolved in water, so the EU's formaldehyde prohibition covers it and true Brazilian-blowout formulas cannot be sold there; the US still permits them while an FDA ban proposal sits unfinished.

CAS: 463-57-0 Also seen as: Formaldehyde solution, Formalin, Brazilian blowout active

What the EU does

Banned, under the formaldehyde entry. Methylene glycol is what formaldehyde becomes in water, and EU law treats them as one substance: the Annex II prohibition on formaldehyde covers methylene glycol explicitly, closing the renaming loophole. Keratin-smoothing products sold in the EU must use genuinely different chemistry, typically glyoxylic acid systems, which are themselves now under SCCS scrutiny.

The "formaldehyde-free" label game (declaring methylene glycol while denying formaldehyde) is the specific deception EU enforcement was built to end. When the product is heated by a flat iron, formaldehyde gas is released; the chemistry doesn't care what the label calls it.

Citation Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex II (formaldehyde/methylene glycol)

What the US does

Legal, contested, and overdue for resolution. Hair-smoothing treatments releasing formaldehyde remain on the US professional market; OSHA has cited salons for air-quality violations during Brazilian-blowout services, and the FDA issued warning letters to the original Brazilian Blowout maker as far back as 2011. The FDA's proposed rule to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals (methylene glycol by name) in hair-smoothing products was announced for 2023, and has been delayed repeatedly without finalization.

The exposure question here is unusually well documented and unusually inequitable: the highest measured exposures fall on salon workers, and marketing of smoothing treatments concentrates on Black women, a point researchers and the FDA's own proposal materials acknowledge.

Citation FDA proposed rule on formaldehyde in hair smoothing products (pending); OSHA hair-salon guidance

Products that commonly contain it

Where the chemistry hides:

Professional keratin/Brazilian-style smoothing treatments (US salons)
At-home smoothing kits from less-regulated channels
Products listing "methylene glycol," "formalin," or "methanediol" while claiming "formaldehyde-free"
EU-market keratin treatments use glyoxylic acid chemistry instead

What to look for on a label

The vocabulary is the warning system:

"Methylene glycol," "formalin," "methanal," "methanediol": all formaldehyde by other names
"Formaldehyde-free" on a smoothing treatment that lists any of the above is the classic red flag
Ask salons for the safety data sheet; OSHA requires they have it
Glyoxylic acid treatments avoid formaldehyde but bring their own (milder, still-under-review) questions

Or skip the squinting: paste the whole ingredient list into our checker and it flags everything in our database. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Are Brazilian blowouts banned in Europe?

Formaldehyde-based ones, yes: methylene glycol falls under the EU's Annex II formaldehyde prohibition. EU keratin treatments use different chemistry, mainly glyoxylic acid.

Are formaldehyde hair treatments legal in the US?

Currently yes. The FDA proposed banning formaldehyde and methylene glycol in hair-smoothing products, but the rule has been delayed repeatedly and is not final. OSHA enforces salon air-quality rules in the meantime.

Is methylene glycol really just formaldehyde?

Chemically, yes: it is formaldehyde's hydrated form in water, and heat shifts it back to formaldehyde gas. The EU treats the two as one substance; "formaldehyde-free (contains methylene glycol)" is a labeling sleight of hand.

Who bears the real risk from these treatments?

Salon workers, who perform the heated service repeatedly in enclosed spaces; measured air levels during treatments have exceeded occupational limits. Researchers also note smoothing products are disproportionately marketed to Black women, making this a documented equity issue as well.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed June 10, 2026 · How we assign statuses