Overview of the Problem with our Cosmetics/Personal Care
Products
According
to industry estimates and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' polling and
surveys, consumers use around 15, and as many as 25, different
cosmetic products a day containing more than 200 different chemical compounds.
Even if you don’t use make-up, you probably still use cosmetics. Legally, the term refers to any products you apply to your body that are not drugs. Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, hand soap, sunscreen, lip balm, and hand lotion are all cosmetics.
Major loopholes in federal law allow the cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no pre-market testing, no monitoring of health effects, and inadequate labeling requirements. Chemicals that are found in our personal care products are also used in heavy manufacturing industries to grease gears, stabilize pesticides, and soften plastics.
Of the over 10,000 chemicals used in cosmetics, only 11% have been assessed for health and safety by FDA or any other government agency.
- The FDA does not review or regulate cosmetics products or ingredients for safety before they are sold to the public and has no legal authority to require safety assessments of cosmetics.
- The European Union now bans more than 1,100 chemicals from personal care products because they may cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive problems.
- In its 67-year history, the FDA has only banned 9 chemicals from cosmetics in the United States.
Chemicals in cosmetics that pose health risks include:
- carcinogens and suspected
carcinogens: acrylamide,
formaldehyde, coal tar, diethanolamine (or cocamide DEA),
petroleum distillates, ethylacrylate.
According to the Skin Deep database, 1/3 of all personal care products contain at least one chemical linked to cancer. - reproductive or developmental toxins: phthalates, mercury, lead acetate, and toluene.
These chemicals make their way into our bodies through our skin or from inhalation. The amount of a hazardous chemical in a single cosmetic product may be small, but exposures from our use of multiple cosmetic products every day, and from other consumer products, can add up to potentially harmful levels.
Of Particular Concern: Phthalates
Phthalates are a family
of plasticizer chemicals used as additives in cosmetics, fragrances,
plastic toys, automotive products, PVC (vinyl) products, and many other
consumer items. The primary health concern for phthalates
is damage to the developing male reproductive system. In studies on people,
boys born to mothers with greater exposure to phthalates had altered
genital development. Phthalates have also been linked to asthma, reduced
lung capacity, and damage to liver and kidney function.
- Nail polishes frequently contain dibutyl phthalate (or DBP) to make them “non-chip”.
- Phthalates are rarely identified in ingredient lists as they are often listed under the catch-all of “fragrances”.
Recent studies of adults and children in the U.S. have found widespread exposure to phthalates. Phthalates are found in our blood and in breast milk. Phthalates are not bioaccumulative, but because we are constantly re-exposed to sources of phthalates, levels in our bodies may remain fairly constant.
In our Pollution in People study, we found phthalates in the bodies of all 10 Washington residents that we tested: see the phthalates summary
Personal Care Products and Our
Environment 
While
more work is needed to determine the effects of personal care products
on the marine environment, research has already shown that these contaminants
are present in Puget Sound. They
may be one of the causes of hormone disruption observed in marine life,
which is linked with changes in fish gender.
Phthalates are found everywhere in our environment, including in our waterways and in wildlife. They are a major concern in Seattle's Duwamish River watershed, where researchers have found phthalates in the river mud and ongoing high levels of phthalates flowing into the basin.
Our laws are not protecting our health or our environment from
exposure
to hazardous chemicals in our every day consumer products.
Links to Resources
Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products
Pollution in People: A study of toxic chemicals in Washingtonians
Back to main Safe Cosmetics Page
National Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Pollution in People: A study of toxic chemicals in Washingtonians
