FOI reference: FOI-2026-3801
You asked
My request concerns mortality data relating to deaths from anaphylaxis in England and Wales, with particular reference to deaths where hair extension adhesives, hair bonding glues, latex-containing hair products, or solvents used in the application or removal of hair extensions may have been a contributing factor.
By way of context, evidence given at a coroner's inquest in February 2012 at Southwark Coroner's Court indicated that approximately 10 to 20 deaths occur annually in the United Kingdom from solvents used in hair extension application. I am seeking to understand whether this pattern is visible in national mortality data.
I would like to request the following information:
1. The total number of deaths registered in England and Wales where anaphylaxis was recorded as the underlying or contributing cause of death, broken down by year from 2000 to the most recent year available. Please use ICD-10 codes T78.0, T78.1, T78.2, T78.3, T78.4 and related codes as applicable.
2. Of those deaths, how many were recorded with any contextual information, including free text, occupation, location or circumstance notes, referencing hair products, cosmetics, hair extensions, hair adhesives, hair glues or solvents used in beauty procedures? Please provide any available breakdown.
3. A breakdown of anaphylaxis deaths by sex and by ethnic group where this data is recorded, for each year from 2000 to the most recent year available.
4. Whether the ONS holds or is aware of any analysis specifically examining anaphylaxis deaths connected to cosmetic or hair care products in England and Wales.
5. Whether the ONS has received any requests from regulatory bodies, including the Office for Product Safety and Standards, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or any coroner to analyse mortality data in relation to hair extension adhesive or cosmetic product deaths.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We hold some relevant death registration statistics relating to your request, but not all the information or breakdowns you have requested.
1. Annual deaths involving anaphylaxis
Figures for deaths due to and involving fatal anaphylactic reactions registered in England and Wales in each year from 2014 to 2023 are available in our Number of deaths due to fatal anaphylactic reactions, England and Wales, 2014 to 2023 dataset. The definitions tab lists the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to identify these deaths.
This dataset does not cover the full period requested (from 2000 to the most recent year available), but an update to the dataset, including breakdowns by sex and occupation, could be ordered through our User Requested Data Service, subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs in line with our charging policy. To request this bespoke output and obtain details of any applicable charges, please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.
As this information is reasonably accessible via another route, even if only on payment, the exemption found under s.21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies.
2. References to hair or cosmetic products
We receive a short narrative from the coroner's investigation, rather than the full coroner's report. We have searched these coroner narratives held in our death registration records for deaths involving fatal anaphylactic reactions registered between 2001 and 2025 inclusive. We found no references to hair extensions, glue, adhesives, hair products or solvents. We do not hold coroner narrative information for years before 2001.
A breakdown by occupation is available through our User Requested Data Service, as explained in section 5. An occupation breakdown does not establish whether a hair or cosmetic product contributed to a death.
3. Breakdowns by sex and ethnic group
Sex: A breakdown by sex is available through our User Requested Data Service. Please see the information at the end of this response.
Ethnic group: Ethnicity was not collected at death registration before September 2024. It is now collected following the introduction of Death Certification Reform in England and Wales. We are assessing the quality of this information and will not use it to produce statistics on deaths by ethnicity until that assessment is complete. Analysis of the quality of the ethnicity information is available in our Mortality by ethnic group following death certification reform, England and Wales: 2025 bulletin.
4. Existing analysis
We do not hold, and are not aware of, any analysis specifically examining anaphylaxis deaths connected to cosmetic or hair care products in England and Wales. We have not produced further detailed analysis of deaths involving anaphylaxis beyond the dataset described in answer 1.
5. Requests from regulatory bodies or coroners
We have not received any requests from regulatory bodies or coroners to analyse mortality data relating to deaths involving hair extension adhesives or cosmetic products.