Ever since the famous, whistle-blowing book There’s Lead in Your Lipstick came out, we’ve known that cosmetics can be a large source of chemical exposure for women. Despite that, we haven’t done too much to put pressure on the cosmetics industry to change. In a groundbreaking study conducted in 2016, researchers at UC Berkeley and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas demonstrated the significant impact of switching to chemical-free personal care products on teen girls’ hormone-disrupting chemical exposure. Teenaged girls, who are still developing, often use even more products than most adult women. This study highlighted the power that the products we use have on our health – and that something needs to change.
Chemicals in Cosmetics: The Study
The Health and Environmental Research on Makeup of Salinas Adolescents (HERMOSA) study was a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, and the CHAMACOS Youth Council. The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, involved 100 Latina teenagers and shed light on the importance of product choices in reducing harmful chemical exposure. The researchers provided the participants with personal care products free of chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and oxybenzone, commonly found in cosmetics and other beauty products. These products are all known as endocrine disrupting chemicals, aka chemicals that block and interfere with the production of different hormones in the body. This can lead to many problems, most notably, cancer.
“Because women are the primary consumers of many personal care products, they may be disproportionately exposed to these chemicals,” said study lead author Kim Harley. “Teen girls may be at particular risk since it’s a time of rapid reproductive development, and research has suggested that they use more personal care products per day than the average adult woman.”
Key Findings
The researchers already knew that these chemicals build up in the body. What they wanted to study was just how much, and more specifically, how much in teenage girls. The team collected urine samples from each of the participants, both before and after they were given the cosmetics that were free from harmful chemicals. Analysis of urine samples before and after a three-day trial using low-chemical products revealed a significant decrease in the levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the body. Metabolites of diethyl phthalate, commonly used in fragrances, decreased by 27%, while methyl and propyl parabens, found in cosmetics, dropped by 44% and 45%, respectively. Furthermore, triclosan and benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone) levels fell by 36%. Triclosan is found in some toothpastes and anti-bacterial soaps, while benzophenone-3 is found in sunscreens, usually under the name oxybenzone.
New Research Confirms The Old
A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Perspectives has found similar problems with the products we use for our children. The research has shed light on the concerning impact of common personal care products on children’s exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. The researchers found that regular use of items like lotions, ointments, and hair conditioners can lead to heightened levels of phthalates, one of the endocrine disrupting chemicals included in the HERMOSA study.
Phthalates, which can mimic or block the body’s natural hormones, have been associated with adverse health effects on children’s development in previous studies. The study also revealed disparities in phthalate exposure among different racial and ethnic groups, highlighting the need for increased awareness and regulation of these chemicals in personal care products. This ties in well with the older study, showing how these chemicals can start building up and affecting the body from childhood. Girls then arrive in adolescence and start using even more products than before, putting them at quite a risk of developing health and developmental problems because of it.
Not Just A Women’s Problem
As more research comes out about the dangerous chemicals in our cosmetics, one thing has become clear: It is not just a women’s problem. These endocrine disrupting chemicals in products used by women from the time they are young right through to adulthood can affect hormonal balance and pose risks to fertility and fetal development. The lack of regulation in the industry exacerbates these concerns. This means that this problem affects everyone – families, mothers, fathers, and children. It is crucial for consumers to understand the potential impact on fertility and fetal development from the chemicals in their personal care products and advocate for safer options to protect reproductive health.
Changing Habits
The 2016 study was a unique study, having involved the CHAMACOS Youth Council, comprising 12 local high school students who actively participated in the research. The study co-director Kimberly Parra, emphasized the importance of engaging young people in understanding the impact of chemical exposure. This will help to increase both their awareness and advocacy efforts.
“The results of the study are particularly interesting on a scientific level, but the fact that high school students led the study set a new path to engaging youth to learn about science and how it can be used to improve the health of their communities,” she said. “After learning of the results, the youth took it upon themselves to educate friends and community members, and presented their cause to legislatures in Sacramento.”
The study highlighted the need for greater regulation of cosmetics and personal care products due to the potential health risks associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals. While acknowledging the challenges in obtaining long-term health data, the researchers emphasized the importance of taking action to protect the health of all women, in particular the vulnerable population that is young girls. The study’s findings also influenced the participants’ personal choices. One of the teen researchers said it was quite eye-opening, and that post-study she has chosen to continue using low- and chemical-free products over conventional. Lead researchers Harley highlighted the significance of simple actions. She wants women to know that it’s not all-or-nothing. Look for products with fewer chemicals but that still work the way you want them too. Fewer chemicals is better than lots of chemicals, and that choice will have a positive impact on your health and well-being.
The Bottom Line
It is clear that we have a problem that must be fixed. While women, yes, can do their best to boycott chemical-laden products and brands, the reality is that it is somewhat out of most of our hands. Low-chemical and chemical-free products tend to be much pricier than traditional products. For most teenagers, college students, and adult women, these products are simply out of budget, therefore out of reach. Studies like this are important so that we as a society can start advocating for the removal of these chemicals from our products permanently. As already mentioned, this is not just a women’s problem. This effects everyone, and we all deserve better.