Association between hair dye use and cancer in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies

BACKGROUND: The use of hair dye for cosmetic purposes appears to be increasing worldwide. As 50–80% of women use hair dye throughout their lifetimes, the possible association between hair dye use and cancer is a public health concern. METHOD: This systematic review was performed by retrieving studies from PubMed, Scopus, WOS, and ProQuest databases. The inclusion criteria were case-control studies evaluating the association between hair dye use and cancer in women. Women with cancer who have used any hair dye were the focus of our study. RESULTS: The present study combined 28 studies, to assess the association between hair dye use and cancer. The pooled odds ratio (OR) of hematopoietic system cancers among those who have generally ever used any type of hair dyes was 1.10 (95% CI:1.01–1.20) in 17 studies. In 11 studies investigating hair dye made before and after 1980 as a risk factor for cancer, the pooled OR for cancer was 1.31(95% CI:1.08–1.59). Likewise, in the 13 studies that evaluated the association of light and dark hair dye with cancer, the risk among those using dark hair dye increased by 9%, compared to non-users (OR=1.09; 95% CI:0.95–1.25). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that, although the use of hair dye may increase the risk of cancer among users, a more detailed evaluation is required to assess the type of hair dye use in terms of guidelines and metrics.