More Information About Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is found naturally in the environment and is widely used in many consumer products. You could expect to find it in dollar bills, medicines, wood furniture, baby wipes ... even fresh fruit and vegetables. Although formaldehyde is quite common, we do not add it to any of our bras simply because there's no need to use it in this type of product.

The most stringent textile guidelines in the world also take into account that there is often formaldehyde found in the environment that make a true zero test result nearly impossible. According to scientific literature, any level of formaldehyde less than 16 parts per million (ppm) is considered to be "non-detectable," "non-existent" or a "false positive" reading. Dermatologists indicate that even those individuals who are allergic to formaldehyde would not have a reaction at this low level. The Victoria's Secret bras that we tested all had formaldehyde levels below 16 ppm — well below the accepted standard for adult clothing in direct contact with skin which is 75 ppm.

Testing for Formaldehyde

Textile experts around the world use a standard quantitative test as the most reliable way to detect the presence of formaldehyde in clothing. That is the test that was used by independent labs to examine the bras. For more information about formaldehyde limits for clothing and the qualitative testing, known as EO ISO 14184-1, visit: http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/legislation-policy/policy-reports-and-papers/reports/statement.