Portland hairstylist Molly Scrutton found that a new hair smoothing product was making her sick, leading to the discovery that it contained formaldehyde.
Portland hairstylist Molly Scrutton found that a new hair smoothing product was making her sick.
Rather than simply complain, the former college athlete went to the authorities and started shaking up the industry.
Now, the 31-year-old Portlander finds herself the unlikely whistle-blower whose concerns prompted investigations into the product in the United States and Canada. That country’s federal health agency has pulled the product from shelves and issued a warning to stylists and consumers who used it. A stylist in British Columbia initiated a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate. Oregon’s Department of Justice launched its own investigation, and the state’s Occupational Safety & Health Division cautioned salon owners and stylists about potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde in the product that bears a big, brassy name: Brazilian Blowout.
Scrutton performed the treatment about 20 times before concluding six months ago that it made her ill. A big red flag: About a month after she started using Brazilian Blowout on clients, Scrutton had the first nosebleed of her life.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
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