EU deems use of dichloromethane in hair sprays unsafe

The European Union’s (EU) scientific committee on consumer safety has concluded that the use of dichloromethane in hair sprays is unsafe. Current EU rules limit the use of the ingredient to 35% of the volume of a cosmetic product but the committee has concluded using “available data on exposure by hair spraying and…neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental effects of dichloromethane after short term exposure” that the chemical “in hair sprays is not considered safe for the consumer”, at lower concentrations.

Meanwhile, the committee also concluded that more tests are needed on hair dye Basic Brown 16 to assess its potential to affect consumers’ genes and also its stability in solutions.