CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FRX Polymers Inc. (FRX) and Uno & Company Ltd. (UNO) have worked together to develop a synthetic hair fiber for wigs and weaves using bromine-free Nofia flame retardant. Nofia flame retardant is a commercially available additive used in diverse industries such as electronics, building and construction, transportation and textiles. As a result of joint cooperation between the two companies, a bromine-free, flame retardant synthetic hair fiber capable of withstanding high heat, is now available using Nofia flame retardant.
Some traditional brominated flame retardants have been discontinued due to their toxicity, their bioaccumulation in humans and animals and for emitting toxic dioxin gases in a fire event. Firm in its belief that end users should not be made to compromise between fire safety and human health, FRX developed the first to-the-world phosphorus-based polymeric (plastic) flame retardant additive known as Nofia. Nofia flame retardant is both highly effective as a flame retardant while also having a most favorable toxicological profile.
Flame retardants are a necessary ingredient in many applications including high heat synthetic hair. One simply needs to view the burning difference between synthetic hair with Nofia flame retardant and synthetic hair without a flame retardant to understand the need for its inclusion in the manufacturing of wigs and hair extensions: https://youtu.be/I4L_f8qBtpg.
FRX Polymers CEO, Marc Lebel says, “Nofia FR is a phosphorus-based polymeric flame retardant additive with a most favorable toxicological profile, and unlike competitive liquid and powder-based flame retardants that both tend to migrate out of the plastic over time, Nofia will not migrate out.” He added, “Its chemical structure and polymeric nature make it a better choice for many products that people use regularly, like wigs and weaves or hair extensions.”
FRX Polymers has received an Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for being a “great example of an innovative New England company that is making a real difference by making products that reduce risks to human health and reduce environmental damage.” The regional administrator for the EPA said FRX was recognized for developing “safer alternatives to toxic, persistent brominated flame retardants, providing many industries with a safer solution for their product needs.”
Dr. John Kim, CEO of UNO agrees a key benefit of Nofia is that it has a very favorable toxicological profile. However, he is quick to list the value the fiber produced with Nofia FR has for customers: “During our rigorous testing we found the fiber we produced with Nofia FR held the curl longer, adsorbed dyes better, made a lighter weight wig and had a realistic human hair feel to the touch.”
Kim anticipates that new product lines of bromine-free wigs and weaves will be available for sale in the USA for the summer season.
To inform users of synthetic hair about Nofia FR, FRX recently launched a campaign to highlight the positive aspects of the additive. A fictional character was created and named Tracee A. Jackson, PhD to share relevant messages about Nofia FR in an illustrated format. The illustrations are delivered in a weekly blog. Tracee A. Jackson, PhD is a successful, smart, fly girl with a doctorate degree in polymer science and is the CEO of an emerging company that just happens to also be named “FRX Polymers!”
Subscribe online to learn more about the work FRX is doing with flame retardant technology in synthetic hair through “The Life and Times of Tracee Jackson, PhD” at www.whatisgoodhair.com.
For more information about this announcement, please contact J. Abra Degbor by calling 617.999.3783, or e-mail [abra] at [yourprcompany.com].
About FRX Polymers:
FRX Polymers, Inc. was founded in 2007 following over five years of intensive research and development in the field of halogen-free polymeric flame retardant blend components. The company operates a pilot plant in Chelmsford, MA and a full scale plant in Antwerp, Belgium. Having recently commissioned its commercial plant in Antwerp, FRX is in the high growth phase of its evolution. It is commercializing a novel family of halogen-free, transparent, high melt flowing, polymeric flame retardant polymers. FRX Polymers is headquartered in Chelmsford MA. For more information about its products, visit their website at www.frxpolymers.com.
About Uno & Company Ltd.:
UNO & COMPANY Ltd. produces and sells fibers for wigs. It offers PVC wig fibers under the Falang name; heat resistant fibers under the GD and Unolon names; special fiber under the TF brand name, as well as wig oils. The company also supplies copper clad laminates for printed circuit boards to produce electronic products. It offers electronic materials, such as adhesives for copper foils, releasing agents, and flame retardants; optical monomers for plastic lens; and adhesive labels. The company was formerly known as UNO FIBER Corporation and changed its name to UNO & COMPANY Ltd. in May 2007. UNO & COMPANY Ltd. was founded in 1999 and is based in Wanju-gun, South Korea. www.unon.co.kr.
