Hair dyes are often a cause for concern about their safe use, due to the risk of allergy and to their toxic potential. These very special cosmetics are on the front page of the last issue of 60 Millions de Consommateurs (60 million consumers), a French consumering journal, which conducted a test on18 of them, with ambivalent results on these two criteria. This paper was almost immediately answered by a restatement from the FEBEA (the French Federation of Enterprises of Beauty). L'Observatoire des Cosmétiques has deciphered the words used in this debate.
"Still too many insecure ingredients" is the title of the journal of the French National Consumer Institute in its issue dated April 2011. To support this claim, a test performed on 18 hair dyes in the two colours the most widely used by consumers: blond and mahogany.
In its paper, 60 Millions de Consommateurs says that, though these products are very popular to conceal white hair and for their very affordable prices, they are not without side effects, in terms of skin tolerance ("tingling, slight itching and even moderate burns" were felt by volunteers for the test), but also in terms of allergy risk (three dyes given as among the most allergenic were found in the formulas of the products under tests) and even toxic to human health--an assessment of the toxicological profile by a toxicologist pointed out the following toxicological effects (as per 60 Millions): "irritation, sensitization, mutagenic, carcinogenic and toxic for reproduction risks).
Three dyes are specifically targeted in this article: Toluene-2,5 Diamine, Toluene-2,5 Diamine Sulfate and Paraphenylenediamine ( INCI : p-Phenylenediamine); the journal also detected carcinogenic formaldehydesome formulas. And the journal advises users against 17 of the tested products, finding only one as just "acceptable".
