Formaldehyde – a threat in products?

There is no disputing the effects of formaldehyde. It can irritate. It can cause cancer. It can even kill under the right (wrong) conditions. Just like inhaling too much water can kill you…

But formaldehyde is not a hidden threat, an ‘unknown quantity’ or ticking time bomb lurking in everyday products. It’s actually one of the most studied and best-understood chemical ingredients. 
Regulatory and health authorities in Australia and around the world are well across formaldehyde and how it can be safely used.

In Australia, cosmetics cannot contain more than 0.05% free formaldehyde unless there is a warning (‘CONTAINS FORMALDEHYDE’), in which case the limit is 0.2%.² In cosmetic aerosols, free formaldehyde is limited to 0.005%. Many other countries and regions, such as Europe,³ have similar limits on the amount of free formaldehyde permitted in cosmetic products. 

‘Free’ formaldehyde? Formaldehyde that can be readily released from a product.

Beyond cosmetics, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set a limit of 0.5 mg/L for formaldehyde in drinking water.

What about the cancer risk? This really only applies to people who are regularly exposed to high levels of formaldehyde gas. Like embalmers and others with workplace exposure. Safe Work Australia sets short- and long-term exposure standards for exposure to formaldehyde in the workplace.⁴

It is a common media (and activist) ploy to proclaim the presence of a scary chemical in everyday products.

But regulatory and health authorities around the world do not consider the low levels of formaldehyde released by cosmetic and personal care products to be dangerous for human health. They also monitor and reevaluate ingredient use, as needed.

For example, the USA’s Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel determined that unsafe levels of formaldehyde gas were released from some hair straightening products when the products were heated.⁵ The Australian consumer safety watchdog (ACCC) recalled products that released unsafe levels of formaldehyde from the Australian market in 2010.⁶

The CIR Expert Panel also concluded that formaldehyde was safe as currently used as a preservative in cosmetics and in nail hardening products.⁵ 

Formaldehyde is a skin irritant at certain levels, usually above those permitted in cosmetic and personal care products.  

But if you are sensitive to formaldehyde, you may experience irritation at lower doses. Some people have a contact allergy to formaldehyde or develop one following repeated low-dose contact of formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasers with their skin. 

How common is formaldehyde contact allergy?

Estimates vary in different countries, but recent estimates range from 1.5% (Denmark)⁷ to 2.9% (Lithuania)⁸. 

The Danish study found that 36.4% of patients with formaldehyde allergy were also allergic to one or more formaldehyde-releasers. 

If your skin reacts to formaldehyde, or you have a known allergy, you might want to avoid leave-on cosmetics containing formaldehyde releasers, as a precaution. Some formaldehyde releasers are quaternium-15, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, bromopol and imidazolidinyl urea.