Study shows even small reductions lower levels of health-harming substances
Pamela Ferdinand, US Right to Know
“I only look at the ingredients for my own skin type. As
long as a product is on the market and from a big corporation or reliable
brand, I feel like it shouldn’t contain too much [to be worried about],” Deng
said. “I trust the manufacturers.”
But a small study shows that assumption may not hold. Routine
decisions about everything from mascara to moisturizer matter when it comes to
shaping your chemical exposure and health risks, the researchers suggest.
On average, women
use 13 personal care products a day, containing more than 100 unique
ingredients, and men use about 11. Roughly 1 in 10 adults uses more than 25
products daily. Late last year, the FDA reported that more
than 1,700 cosmetic products contain PFAS — so-called “forever
chemicals” tied to serious health risks including cancer, birth defects and
liver disease.
The findings, published in the May issue of Environment
International, indicate that switching from conventional personal care
products to nontoxic alternatives can rapidly and significantly reduce exposure
to harmful chemicals. Even a few changes in only a few days can lower body
levels of substances linked to hormone disruption, cancer, developmental
problems, and reproductive
toxicity, the study shows.
Significant declines in BPA, parabens, and pthlalates
The researchers found traces of toxins in most participants’
urine. Many of these chemicals, often added by manufacturers as preservatives,
stabilizers, and antibacterial agents, left the body quickly when use declined.
The observed reductions could result in meaningful health
benefits, the researchers say. Over five days, they observed a marked drop
in health-harming chemicals, including
bisphenol A (BPA), along with decreases in parabens and phthalates.
Specifically:
- Bisphenol
A (BPA) levels dropped by roughly 39%.
- Parabens
decreased by 30%.
- Phthalates
decreased by 22%.
“The results of this new study are very exciting as they
offer further evidence that consumers can rapidly reduce their burden of
several known hormone-disrupting chemicals by using fewer, safer personal care
products,” said Dr. Emily S. Barrett, a Rutgers School of Public Health
epidemiologist and deputy director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental
Exposures and Disease.
She added, “Ideally, tighter regulations would prevent
potentially harmful chemicals from being included in product formulations.
However, short of that, this study should empower consumers to feel that they
can make smart choices to reduce their own exposure.”
A similar study, published last year, showed 70 Black and
Latina women in South Los Angeles lowered their exposures to several chemicals linked to
health risks by choosing nontoxic personal care products. For instance, Black
women who avoided fragranced products had about three times lower levels of
monoethyl phthalate in urinary samples than those who rarely considered product
ingredients.
Similarly, Latina women who said they avoided products
containing oxybenzone had lower average levels of the endocrine disruptor in
their bodies than those who did not. Few participants overall, however, were
knowledgeable about potentially toxic chemicals themselves.
Nor should they have to be, especially in marginalized
communities, the study’s authors said at the time.
“It is great that shopping choices can make a difference and
lower exposures to some harmful chemicals. However, the burden to protect
oneself from risky products should not be on the consumer,” said
co-author Dr. Lariah Edwards, an associate research scientist at the
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
Urine testing reveals rapid drop in toxic chemicals
The study followed 103 female university students ages 18 to
30 in Grenoble, France. Participants reduced or stopped using their usual
lotions, cosmetics, perfumes and hair products for five days.
Instead, they used non-toxic study-provided alternatives.
These included soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, lip balm,
jojoba oil and hydroalcoholic gel. The researchers avoided plastic packaging
when possible to limit contamination.
Participants recorded product use and household exposures.
They also recorded consumption of food or drinks stored in plastic or cans
using a mobile app. Other exposure sources, including diet and household
products, remained stable.
The researchers collected 24-hour urine samples before and
after the intervention. They then analyzed them for 11 phenols (such as
bisphenols and triclosan) and 16 phthalates. They also looked for
two glycol ethers, solvents used in liquid soaps and cosmetics
and linked to reproductive health harms.
The analysis showed consistent declines across multiple
toxic compounds used in personal care products:
- Monoethyl
phthalate (MEP), a byproduct of diethyl phthalate used in fragrances,
decreased by about 22%, consistent with prior U.S. adolescent studies.
- Methylparaben
decreased by about 30%.
- Phenoxyacetic
acid decreased by 64%, and propylparaben appeared less frequently.
Reducing BPA exposure in pregnancy
A separate analysis linked lower BPA exposure during
pregnancy to fewer childhood respiratory conditions and modest cognitive gains.
The researchers modeled how switching products could potentially affect
pregnant women and the future health of their children. They say they focused
only on bisphenol A because of stronger evidence linking it to adverse
child health outcomes.
Based on epidemiological data and biomarker comparisons, the
model indicated that replacing toxic personal care products with non-toxic
products could prevent about 4% of asthma and 4.4% of wheezing cases in children.
It also projected a small prevention of IQ loss in children, about 0.4 points, and a slight
reduction in BMI increases of 0.04 points.
Individual effects were modest but could accumulate across
populations, the researchers say.
“Health impact assessment was not possible for other
chemicals, due to the absence of estimated probabilities of causation or lack
of adequate dose–response functions,” they wrote. “However, reductions in these
chemicals are also likely beneficial, as several studies have linked them to
adverse health effects – for example, phenoxyacetic acid has been associated
with impaired neurodevelopment at exposure levels similar to those found in our
study.”
Changing shampoos isn’t enough to safeguard health
The study notes several limitations. The sample included
only young adult women from one location, and participants acted as their own
controls. Diet, exercise or other behaviors may have affected results, despite
instructions to maintain usual habits.
The short intervention limits conclusions about long-term
exposure changes. The researchers also selected alternative products based on
ingredient lists without laboratory testing, so possible contamination cannot
be ruled out.
The researchers pointed to product formulation and packaging
as ongoing exposure sources. Switching to safer alternatives can rapidly lower
the body’s chemical burden, they say, but broader
regulation is needed to protect public health.
“While average decreases in urinary concentrations were
substantial, several chemicals remained detected after the intervention phase,”
they wrote. “Individual changes in PCPs use can decrease exposure to these
chemicals, but regulatory actions would probably be more efficient and fairer.”
To reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, choose
fragrance-free personal care products and cosmetics. Avoid antibacterial soaps
and toothpaste. Also be cautious with long-lasting, waterproof make-up that
often contains PFAS, and imported cosmetics, which may contain lead or other
heavy metals.
Reference
Jovanovic N, Bright F, Thomsen C, et al. Levers to decrease exposure to harmful chemicals: the case of
personal care products and cosmetics. Environment International.
2026;211:110243. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2026.110243
