Health Canada to ban chemical in men's hair dye

CTV.ca News

Health Canada is banning a key ingredient used in hair colouring products for men that disguise the greying process.

According to Health Canada, lead acetate can be found in progressive hair dyes such as Grecian Formula and it says "based on data indicating skin absorption and possible links to carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity" it should be prohibited.

Starting in Jan. 2006 companies will likely have to remove lead acetate from products like Grecian Formula, as well as Iman Oil Free Cleanser, a facial wash for people of colour.

Parent company Combe Incorporated of White Plains, NY, insisted its Grecian Formula product is safe.

"Lead acetate has been used in Canada and throughout the world in gradual acting hair dyes to colour gray hair for more than 40 years," the company said in a statement. "These products have been extensively tested and proven safe by renowned scientists."

"We believe our product is safe and we have research to back this up," company spokesperson Emily Blasi said in a statement.

The company has already reformulated the product for Europe, but Blasi said there are no plans to reformulate it for the North American market.

But a spokesperson for Health Canada told CTV News companies that produce products containing lead acetate will have to either reformulate or take the product off Canadian shelves by the end of January.

Health Canada has added lead acetate to its Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, a list of substances that are restricted and prohibited in cosmetics.

Last year the European Union banned lead acetate, as well as other known carcinogens because manufacturers there were unable to prove it was safe for commercial use. The state of California has also deemed it as a carcinogen.

Last year the Washington-based Environmental Working Group reported out of 10,500 chemical ingredients used in personal-care products only about 11 per cent have been assessed by a government body for safety.

The remaining 89 per cent of the unassessed ingredients are used in more than 99 per cent of all products on the market.