Israel Updates Guidance On Hair Straightening Glyoxylic Acid And Formaldehyde Bans

The update confirms existing prohibitions rather than announcing a new ban. Suppliers and salons should verify product licences, ingredients, instructions, ventilation and adverse-event reporting now.

Israel Clarifies Existing Hair Straightening Bans

Glyoxylic acid is used in some cosmetic straightening systems to alter hair structure when heat is applied. Israel has prohibited hair-straightening products containing glyoxylic acid since February 2026. Formaldehyde, a hazardous substance associated with cancer and respiratory irritation, is also prohibited in hair-straightening cosmetics.

What changed on 16 August was the Ministry's practical safety communication. The underlying glyoxylic-acid prohibition was already in force. Businesses should not describe the update as the start of the ban. The guidance is intended to raise awareness, support safer product choices and explain reporting when adverse effects occur.

Cosmetic Suppliers, Salons And Workers Need Traceable Checks

The guidance affects manufacturers and importers placing cosmetics on the Israeli market, distributors and retailers supplying salons, and hairdressers who apply products in workplaces where heating can increase inhalation exposure. Customers also need accurate product identity and instructions.

Supply-chain controls should cover the product's Israeli authorisation or notification status, ingredient documentation, batch identity, label and instructions for use. Salons should retain purchase records, follow ventilation and personal-protection measures, and avoid unapproved mixtures or off-label additions.

The update shows why cosmetic compliance cannot stop at ingredient screening. A lawful-looking product can still create exposure risk if it is heated, mixed or applied inconsistently with instructions. Manufacturers and salons should connect product stewardship records with workplace risk assessments and adverse-event escalation.

What Organisations Should Do Now

Suppliers should review Israeli portfolios for glyoxylic acid, formaldehyde and ingredients capable of releasing formaldehyde under treatment conditions. They should confirm market status in the Ministry's cosmetics database and ensure distributors receive current documentation.

Salon operators should inventory products, remove prohibited or unverified stock, train workers, check ventilation and document customer and employee complaints. Suspected adverse events should be reported through the Ministry's published channels. International brands should not assume that authorisation in another jurisdiction establishes compliance in Israel.

Retailers and distributors should create a rapid withdrawal route for suspect stock. Complaint records should link to the exact product, batch, supplier and treatment date so businesses can trace exposure and act without delay.

Summary

Israel's updated guidance does not create a new ban. It explains controls that already apply to glyoxylic acid and formaldehyde in hair-straightening products. Manufacturers, importers, retailers and salons should verify products and records, manage workplace exposure and preserve a clear route for adverse-event reporting.