Cosmetics Key In Teens' Exposure to Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals

"Using off-the-shelf products labeled free of these chemicals for even three days can lead to a big drop in exposure levels, study shows".

"Using cosmetics and personal care products that don’t contain certain hormone-disrupting ingredients for only three days, women can significantly reduce their exposure to these chemicals, according to a study published today in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley, California Department of Public Health, and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, measured levels of four commonly used cosmetics ingredients known to be endocrine disrupters —phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and oxybenzone — in 100 Latina teens before and after they began to use off-the shelf products labeled as free of these ingredients.

These chemicals are widely used in personal care products and cosmetics, including sunscreens, soaps, hair products, and perfume. All have been shown in laboratory studies to interfere with the endocrine system, which produces hormones that help regulate development, reproduction, and metabolism as well as cardiovascular, immune, and neurological system functions. This is the first such study to show that simply by using products labeled to be free of these chemicals, personal exposure levels can be significantly reduced."

Elizabeth Grossman reports for Earth Island Journal March 7, 2016.