The consumer authority is investigating the case of a young woman who ended up in hospital after her head swelled to twice its size following a severe allergic reaction to hair dye.
The case of Daniela Carabott Pawley also highlighted the importance of carrying out an allergy patch test up to 48 hours before applying hair dye, be it at home or in a salon, according to Hair and Beauty Federation president Corinne Farrugia.
Earlier this month Ms Carabott Pawley, 20, went to a hairdresser to have her hair dyed purple black, ahead of starting her third year at University.
The Sunday Times reported how the next morning she woke up feeling dizzy and nauseous and by the end of the day her head started oozing a honey-like liquid and ballooned to twice the size.
That evening she was taken to hospital where she spent three days after the swelling spread to her eyes and face.
Ms Carabott Pawley had previously coloured her hair black using a home kit and developed an irritation around her ear lobes but this disappeared after two days. When she went to the hairdresser she warned her to keep the dye away from her skin.
The young woman is fine now but, just last week, a similar case reported in the UK ended in the death of a 17-year-old girl.
It is not yet clear what caused the allergic reaction in both cases. However, past literature has shown that, in extremely rare cases, allergic reactions to a particular chemical in hair dye – para-phenylenediamine (PPD) – can lead to death. PPD is used in permanent hair dye to colour light or grey hair a darker shade.
The hair dye used on Ms Carabott Pawley did not actually list PPD as one of its ingredients but it included another chemical (toluene-2.5-diamine), that is related to PPD.
UK campaigners are now calling for the outright ban of the potentially deadly PPD that is allowed by EU law.
The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, that regulates such products, said it was investigating the case of Ms Carabott Pawley.
The authority said it performed regular inspections on outlets to check that products on the market were in conformity with EU regulations.
An authority spokesman explained that PPD was not banned in member states but restrictions were in place regulating the maximum authorised concentration in the finished cosmetic product, conditions of use and warnings which must be printed on the label.
Ms Farrugia, from the Hair and Beauty Federation, stressed the importance of patch tests on new clients and when using new dyes. It is important to mix the dye with the peroxide when testing it.
She said it was also the responsibility of the clients to inform their hairdresser about any bodily changes such as allergies or reactions.
Ms Farrugia said the federation had been set up to raise standards within the profession. It was working on making professional indemnity insurance available to members. This would be useful in cases where clients refused to carry out a patch test.
A hairdressing teacher, who preferred not to be named, agreed adding: “Carrying out a patch test, when using a new dye or on a new client, is a cardinal rule of hairdressing.”
He said in the past, he had clients who suffered from allergies but insisted on dyeing their hair and took antibiotics each time to cope with reactions.