The Environmental Working Group recommends minimizing your use of dark, permanent hair dyes. That’s because many such hair products contain coal […]
The Environmental Working Group recommends minimizing your use of dark, permanent hair dyes. That’s because many such hair products contain coal tar ingredients, like aminophenol, diaminobenzene, and phenylenediamine, which have been linked to cancer. Coal tar is a byproduct of coal processing and is recognized by the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen. Because hairstylists and other professionals are exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis, European regulators have banned many of these ingredients in hair dyes. The FDA sanctions the use of coal tar in specialty products, like dandruff and psoriasis shampoos, but the long-term safety of these products hasn’t yet been verified.