Cosmetic industry under attack - woman dies of reaction to L'Oreal dye.

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Cosmetic industry under attack - woman dies of reaction to L’Oreal dye.

Posted by belassi on February 20, 2015 at 5:20 am

Glad I am not in this part of the market.

Bill_Toge replied 9 years, 10 months ago 6 Members · 9 Replies
9 Replies

Bill_Toge

Member
February 20, 2015 at 9:05 am

this is the legally prescribed wording for conditions of use and warnings for oxidative colourants containing PPD (EU Cosmetic Product Regulations Annex III/8, emphasis mine):

To be printed on the label: The mixing ratio. “ Hair colourants can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not intended for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary ‘black henna’ tattoos may increase your risk of allergy.

Do not colour your hair if:

— you have a rash on your face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp,

— you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair,

— you have experienced a reaction to a temporary ‘black henna’ tattoo in the past.

Contains phenylenediamines. Do not use to dye eyelashes or eyebrows”

many branders, L’Oreal among them, also instruct the user to do a patch test 48 hours before using hair dyes, and not to use it if they have an allergic reaction

in my view, if any action is required above and beyond the existing measures, I’d suggest putting “READ INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE” in big red letters all over the pack, so even the densest and least observant consumers can’t miss it

(also, it’s not true that PPD is “required” for dark colours: toluene-2,5-diamine sulphate is a less allergenic alternative to PPD which has been available for years)
OldPerry

Member
February 20, 2015 at 2:51 pm

It is interesting that the article extensively quotes the coroner as their expert. Shouldn’t they have talked to a cosmetic industry person?
David

Member
February 20, 2015 at 4:17 pm

There is no scientific consensus regarding the 48h patch test. It is reasoned that this self-test which is not controlled by scientists could actually induce an allergy or sensitivity reaction since hair color normally never get in contact with the skin for that amount of time.
Bill_Toge

Member
February 21, 2015 at 5:44 pm

@Perry, the Daily Mail is notorious for its hysterical sensationalism, its tendency to manufacture moral outrage, and its lack of concern for factual accuracy; most of the time it just wants to scare readers and get them angry about an issue rather than properly informing them about it
Chemist77

Member
February 21, 2015 at 5:52 pm

@Bill_Toge Absolutely agree with you, I also read this article but since it was DM I thought it better to ignore.
braveheart

Member
February 21, 2015 at 11:56 pm

@Perry, I think we should have a “like” button for some timely comments.

@Bill_Toge‘s comments, I couldn’t agree more.
OldPerry

Member
February 22, 2015 at 12:05 am

@braveheart - I’ll see if I can find a way to do that.
braveheart

Member
February 22, 2015 at 12:06 am

@Perry: Brilliant!
Bill_Toge

Member
February 22, 2015 at 4:10 am

interestingly, we had a query from the Daily Mail several years ago about making permanent hair colours for them

it collapsed over an argument about the text they wanted to use as pack copy; like most of their publications, it was misleading at best and just plain wrong at worst, and we were extremely unwilling to accept it without some drastic editing

Cosmetic industry under attack - woman dies of reaction to L’Oreal dye.