Israeli Health Ministry Warns of Dangerous Chemicals in Hair Straightening Products

The Israeli Ministry of Health has issued a public warning following laboratory tests on hair straightening products sold at the "Hair Straightening Center" chain. The tests, conducted after a regulatory inspection of nine branches, found shampoos and hair straightening products that were not legally registered and contained prohibited substances such as formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid. The ministry specifically named products including PROTEIN + MINERAL PREMIUM HAIR STRAIGHTENING, Protein Mineral Premium Pre Treatme Shampoo, and HYDRO KERATIN PRO HAIR STRAIGHTENING GEL.

The ministry highlighted that HYDRO KERATIN PRO HAIR STRAIGHTENING GEL, which is unregistered, contains glyoxylic acid, a banned ingredient in hair straightening products in Israel due to its association with severe side effects, including kidney failure. Additionally, suspicions arose that some products found in the chain, such as Revival Riginol PRO and Revival Straight, were counterfeit, as the registered manufacturer "Taltal" denied producing them. This raises concerns about the products' origin, composition, and safety.

Further tests revealed the presence of formaldehyde, a carcinogenic substance banned in cosmetics in Israel, in other unlabelled or improperly labelled hair straightening products. The ministry warned that exposure to formaldehyde poses serious health risks.

The Health Ministry urged the public to avoid purchasing hair straightening products from unauthorized or unknown sources and to use only products registered in the ministry's cosmetics database and properly labelled according to legal requirements. The ministry emphasized that using unapproved or improperly labelled products could pose significant health dangers.

The ministry is continuing its investigation in cooperation with local authorities and enforcement agencies and pledged to take all necessary measures to protect public health, promising to update the public as needed.