"‘Modamoda Black Shampoo’ Core Ingredient May Have Genetic Toxicity Potential"

'1, 2, 4-Trihydroxybenzene' (THB)
Consumer Organizations Council Raises Concerns Over Harmfulness in Additional Safety Verification
"Compensation Measures for Side Effects and Damages Should Be Established"

A verification result has emerged that cannot rule out the possibility of genotoxicity for '1, 2, 4-Trihydroxybenzene' (THB), the key ingredient in Modamoda's 'Pro Change Black Shampoo,' known as a dyeing shampoo.

Modamoda Pro Change Black Shampoo [Image source: Modamoda official website]

The Korea Consumer Organization Council announced on the 6th that it reached this conclusion after forming a Cosmetic Ingredient Safety Verification Committee and conducting additional safety verification on the THB ingredient, following the Regulatory Reform Committee's recommendation for improvement.

Earlier, Modamoda shampoo faced harmfulness controversy when the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) pushed to add THB as a prohibited ingredient in cosmetics early last year. To conduct additional safety verification objectively and fairly, the Cosmetic Ingredient Safety Verification Committee was formed in December last year. The committee is co-chaired by Jin-Ho Jeong, Chair Professor at Duksung Women's University, and Jung-Hwa Kang, President of the Korea Consumer Federation, and consists of 11 experts from various fields.

The committee provided opportunities for the MFDS and related companies to attend meetings and explain their positions, collected opinions, and received supporting data to conduct professional, technical, and legal reviews. So far, a total of eight plenary sessions and two subcommittee meetings have been held, along with frequent data reviews and discussions.

The committee pointed out, "Since THB has genotoxic potential and no threshold exists, it is impossible to establish toxicological reference values, making it impossible to set safety standards for human exposure. Therefore, there are safety concerns if consumers use it continuously." They added, "From a precautionary perspective, it is reasonable to prohibit its use as a cosmetic ingredient."

Based on this conclusion, the Korea Consumer Organization Council stated that Modamoda needs to prepare a voluntary recall plan for the product and compensation measures for consumers who suffered side effects or damages. The government was also recommended to take follow-up measures such as adding THB to the prohibited substances list and inform consumers accordingly.

Since the controversy over safety risks, Modamoda had been selling 'Pro Change Black Shampoo' containing THB on its official mall and other channels during the verification process. However, in October, they launched a new product, 'Zero Gray Black Shampoo,' without the THB ingredient and discontinued sales of the previous product.