Ocular irritation potential and selected regulatory labeling requirements of hair-styling pomades marketed in Brazil: A comparative assessment using Short Time Exposure test (OECD TG 491) and HET-CAM.

In February 2023, during Brazilian Carnival, more than 700 cases of temporary blindness were reported after rain exposure, with affected individuals describing blurred vision, burning pain, and a film-like sensation over the eyes. Hairstyling pomades were implicated in these events, leading to a temporary ban on the commercialization of such cosmetics. Shortly after the mark re-entry of some brands in April 2023, 10 commercially available products were investigated by assessing their pH and evaluating their in vitro ocular irritation potential by Hen's Egg Test-Chorioallantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) and Short Time Exposure (STE) assays. One product lacked a warning regarding accidental eye exposure, and pH ranged from 2.6 to 7.6. Two formulations could not be evaluated by STE because suitable test preparations could not be obtained. Of the eight tested products, four were Category 1, three were No Prediction, and one was No Category. HET-CAM classified three products as severe irritants. HP-5 showed the strongest response, with 0.2 ± 5.0% cell viability at 5% in STE and a mean HET-CAM irritation score of 15.5 ± 2.1. These findings support complementary non-animal methods for post-market ocular hazard screening while emphasizing method-specific limitations.