By Emily Do
AUGUST 23, 2024
Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) are chemicals used in many different commercial products, from cosmetics to medical products. They often work as fragrance stabilizers or plasticizers in cosmetic items. Phthalate exposure (when these chemicals get into the body) happens in a variety of ways, including absorption through the skin and eating contaminated food.
Higher levels of exposure to phthalates is associated with disruptions of the human endocrine system. Studies show that problems linked to hormone disruption can include early puberty, reproductive cancers, lower IQ scores, and allergic disorders.
While that list sounds ominous, there are steps people can take to reduce exposure to phthalates and related chemicals.
Phthalates and personal care products
There is relatively little evidence about phthalate exposure through personal care products (PCPs). But it is known that there are a lot of phthalates in PCPs – not just in higher-end skincare serums or lip glosses, but in shampoo and conditioner, and toothpaste.
The data
In 2024, I worked with Dr. Susan Teitelbaum, an epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, to explore more about phthalate exposure through PCPs.
We used public data from the HHEAR data center. In our data set, kids aged 4 to 14 were surveyed about their PCP use, then provided urine samples to be tested for levels of phthalates. The surveyed products included both everyday products such as toothpaste (with 100% usage among participants, as expected) and lesser-used products such as hair oil (33% usage).
Our findings
Through statistical analysis, we found that higher phthalate exposure was linked to conditioner, nail polish, and cologne use in these children.
Reducing your exposure
These findings are not necessarily a call for people to throw away all of their PCPs like conditioner, nail polish, and cologne. But the findings strongly suggest consumers should look more closely at what is actually in their products. On an individual level, being an informed consumer and learning more about safe products and practices is key to protecting health.
Try slowly phasing out products known to contain harmful chemicals (it’s fine to finish that one bottle). And on your next shopping trip for cosmetics, use guides like EWG’s database for finding clean, safe products instead of chasing the latest trending product.
There’s no need to shop perfectly – we all have that one product that we just can’t part with, a favorite moisturizer, lip balm, or something else, even if it might contain a questionable ingredient.
But there are many ways to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals: try finding a new fragrance, avoiding plastic containers, or buying a better water filter.
More research is needed to fully understand phthalate exposure and PCPs, so staying up to date with new findings and data is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your health.