HAIRSPRAY Changes should affect product performance

Manufacturers must reduce volatile organic compounds.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Don't worry hairspray addicts, you can still get helmet-like hair, but because of new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, it'll just take a little longer for spray formulas to take hold.
After Dec. 31, manufacturers must reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds found in hairspray from 80 percent to 55. This means hairspray will use more water in their formula resulting in a wetter and warmer feel, and it will take longer to dry, explains David Floyd, director of research and development for Diamond Products.
Diamond Products' brands include White Rain, Mink Difference, Adorn and Dry Look for Men.
"In the old days, we used a lot of high pressure hydrocarbons in hairspray, which gave a dry, cooling spray and it evaporated quickly. There was forcefulness with the spray, and people got used to that feel," Floyd says.
"At the 55 percent level, there is lower pressure and it takes propellants longer to evaporate and there is a dampness associated with it."
Same result
Eventually, though, the new hairspray will dry and its styling characteristics won't change, he pledges.
Floyd compares hairspray to paint: Lacquer takes only moments to dry and harden, while water-based enamel paint has a tackiness to it when applied and needs to sit longer. The final result of both, though, is shiny shield.
"It's actually a good thing because it is helping to control air quality," Floyd adds.
The new EPA rules are based on California's emission guidelines which also have been adopted by New York, New Jersey and Illinois, among others.
The mandatory reduction in VOCs also affects cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paints and other consumer products, but, says Floyd, the texture change is most notable in hairspray.
Floyd also dispels the urban myth that aerosols are worse for the environment than nonaerosol hairsprays, at least for the past 25 years.
Since 1978 aerosols and nonaerosols have used alcohol (ethanol) to help solubilize the resins. As both types of sprays reduce their VOC emissions, alcohol levels are reduced and typically replaced with water.