According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in the United States and Europe, an estimated one third or more of women 18 and older and nearly 10 percent of men over the age of 40 dye their hair. Meanwhile Cincinnati based hair color company Clairol released a 2008 study revealing that 75% of American women dye their hair.
Yet few of these men and women probably realize that hair dye products contain more than 5,000 different chemicals, some of which according to NCI, have been reported to cause cancer in animals. But before the 1970s, hair dyes were made with chemicals, such as aromatic amines that caused cancer in animals. By the mid- to late 70s, however, some of these chemicals were removed, but it’s been difficult to determine whether some of these still cause cancer.
Dr. Nilam Amin, dermatologist with Advocate Medical
Group in Chicago “For the most part, hair dyes are safe to use,” explains “The
biggest concern is hair dyes causing allergic or irritant contact skin
reactions from one of their ingredients, such as p-Phenylenediamine (PPD),
ammonia or bleach. To date, many studies have ruled out a connection between
hair dye and many different types of cancer”. Further the American Cancer
Society, however, warns that these chemicals are absorbed in the body through
skin contact, which can potentially pose other health risks.
