Salon Allergy Specialist

Salon Allergy Specialist

Monday, February 9, 2015

Wella Koleston Innosense, the answer to PPD allergies? IT'S NOT...

Here is the full information on why the new super color that Wella claims is the best thing to happen to hair color since it's invention. I'm here to tell you why IT'S NOT. The advertisements have been misleading, and with hairdressers and laymen alike being kept in the dark about the truths of what can happen to them with hair color. I'll give you a little bit about the merger, and then explain the chemical information more in depth.




P&G  acquired Wella in 2003, and now owns not just Clairol and Wella, but they also own Sebastian, Nioxin, Graham Webb and Back to Basics, Belvedere, Sassoon Professional, Londa Professional, Welonda,  High Hair, and indecently, an international fragrance company. ( Gucci®, Rochas®, Escada®, Montblanc®, Dunhill®, Anna Sui®, Escada®, Cindy Crawford®, Mexx® and 4711®. )Reuters reports that P&G is "exploring the sale of Wella", but I'll believe it when I see it. They have wanted to expand their professional line to compete with rival company, L'Oreal.

According to Wikipedia, this is what they report  on the molecule in the color:

Me+ In 2014, Wella patented a new molecule called ME+. This molecule is a substitute for PPD, also known as P-Phenylenediamine, which is present in most colouring products to fix the colour. PPD has been known to cause mild to severe allergic reactions. The ME+ molecule is currently used in the Wella Professionals colour brand Koleston Perfect Innosense, which is the first permanent colour product to be approved by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF).



All of this sounds fantastic. If it helps a few people, even a lot of people, to not become allergic to hair color, then that would be great. However, when I look at the MSDS papers, it's really more about those BENZENES. They are known carcinogens, and in most hair color. They boldly listed it in the ingredients, who can stop them from doing this? In the U.S., no one.  Remember, our Congress said that the FDA can't touch hair color. This means they can put whatever they want in it. It would take an act of Congress to change it. Anyone old enough to remember what it took to put a small note in the tampon box about toxic shock syndrome? (google that, you won't believe it! It's from the 1980's Lucky us!!)The chart below is copied and pasted directly from the MSDS on level 5/7 Wella Koleston Innosense. I count THREE benzene based chemicals. I would not allow this chemical into my salon. PERIOD. There is a link  for the MSDS for Benzene, should anyone want to look at that.

http://www.cpchem.com/msds/100000068511_SDS_US_EN.PDF



Chemical Name Partition Coefficient (n-octanol/water)/
 

Alcohols, C16-18 6.65


Ammonia solution 13.8



Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), alpha-sulfo-omega-hydroxy-, C12-14-alkyl ethers, sodium salts, 0.3

1,4-Benzenediamine, 2-(methoxymethyl)- -0.65

Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt (1:1) -2.03 (at 20 C; Computational Approach in OECD Guideline 107)

Resorcinol 0.8 (octanol-water,20 °C )

Ethanol, 2-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylamino)-, hydrochloride (1:1) 0.412 @ 36 C and pH 4.65

1,3-Benzenediol, 2-methyl-   .018
 


In the chemistry of permanent hair color, you need Primary Intermediates, and Couplers. It's not used  very often, but one Primary Intermediate group is Dihydroxy-Benzenes. These PI's are the main "dyes", or color that you can react to. Color couplers help give a change to the color, so these "dyes" allow for more choices in the color palette. Some of these are Phenols and Resorcinols. If you look at dye structure, (below) all the hexagon shaped molecules stand for benzene. It is referred to as the "Benzenoid Ring", so having benzene structures in hair color is not new. In fact, it is a part of every color that I have ever seen.

Here is a link to a Government Accountability Office Report to our U.S.Congress, from 1977-1979. Interesting reading!! -well, maybe scary reading...

http://www.gao.gov/assets/130/120763.pdf

It doesn't matter that it might save clients from a hair color allergy. I would have to see a lot of serious in vivo testing, done properly to even believe that it would do what they say. I will be checking this out, and posting on that when I have the time. Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, it's been so very busy! I'll do my best to try to get something in every month.

Gina