Keratin hair treatments are extremely popular, but may get banned by the FDA—here's why, from a Harvard dermatologist
When it comes to styling and straightening hair, keratin treatments are a staple — but that may change as soon as April of this year.

"Keratin is a common protein found in skin," according to Dr. Rebecca Hartman, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. It can also be found in hair and nails. "In a keratin treatment, stylists will use heat to seal a keratin product into the hair," Hartman adds.

The "reported benefits" of using keratin treatments on hair are adding shine, reducing frizz and straightening hair with a longer-lasting effect than heat alone, she says.

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But researchers are finding associations between using products that contain ingredients that many keratin treatments have and harmful effects on health.

"I think the real issue is not the keratin protein itself, which as I mentioned is in our skin, but other products that could be in such treatments," Hartman says.

"The FDA is considering a ban on hair straightening products that contain or emit formaldehyde. And actually, people can go and comment on this. They're going to collect the comments, and then by April 2024 make a decision."

Researchers discovered a link between frequent use of chemical hair straighteners and uterine cancer, especially in Black women, in 2022. Exposure to high amounts of formaldehyde has been linked to certain cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

"We're seeing a rise in a certain aggressive subtype of uterine cancer, and black women actually have the highest risk of this aggressive subtype called non-endometrioid uterine cancer," Hartman says. "And interestingly, in the study looking at who uses hair straighteners, the majority were black women."

This finding has led to the FDA taking a closer look at various keratin treatments that "claim to be formaldehyde-free but contain a substance called methylene glycol, which converts to formaldehyde gas after coming in contact with air," according to the New York Times.