recently, i listened to npr’s life kit episode called "what's in your lotion? a guide to personal care product safety", and it made me think deeply about what’s actually in the products i use every day.
an incredibly brief history of cosmetics regulation
back in 1933, a mascara called lash lure blinded people because of the chemical dye it contained. that incident led to the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act, giving the food & drug administration (fda) the power to regulate cosmetic products.
but cosmetics still aren’t screened the same way drugs are. while drugs go through safety and efficacy testing before hitting the market, cosmetics are reviewed after being sold — and only for safety, not effectiveness. unless it’s a color additive, no one is checking if your expensive lotion actually works.
shockingly, only eleven ingredients are fully banned by the fda - and most of those bans date back to the 60s and 70s. many products still contain endocrine disruptors and potential carcinogens that researchers are concerned about, but the science isn’t "conclusive" enough for a ban.
what “safe” really means
according to the fda, it’s the responsibility of the cosmetic companies to ensure their products are safe. but the legal definition of "safe" feels shaky at best - it means the product won’t cause serious harm when used as directed. "serious harm" includes things like rashes, hair loss, birth defects, hospitalization, or death.
anything short of that? not technically considered unsafe. it leaves a large gray area where ingredients might still impact health long term, but companies don’t have to change a thing.
the fragrance loophole - and phthalates
one of the biggest gaps is fragrance. under the fair packaging and labeling act, companies have to list ingredients — except anything protected as a trade secret, which includes most fragrance blends.
this means chemicals like phthalates often go undisclosed. phthalates are used to hold scent or color, make plastics more durable, and act as solvents. they’re known hormone disruptors, and studies have linked high phthalate levels in pregnant women to pre-term birth.
the fda hasn’t banned them, claiming it "does not have evidence that phthalates used in cosmetics pose a safety risk".
what’s worse is the racial disparity — black women have higher levels of phthalates in their systems than white women, likely due to products such as hair relaxers and skin-lightening creams, which contain higher levels of these harmful chemicals.
formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, and parabens
formaldehyde is another one of these harmful chemicals — it’s in some hair products, and becomes more dangerous when heated. it’s a known carcinogen, causing eye and lung irritation, headaches, and asthma. the fda has considered banning it, but hasn’t followed through.
then there’s 1,4-dioxane, a byproduct of manufacturing that shows up in trace amounts. the u.s. department of health and human services calls it a potential carcinogen, while the environmental protection agency labels it "likely" carcinogenic based on animal studies. the fda says the amounts in products are too low to cause harm.
finally, there are parabens — synthetic preservatives that help products last longer. toxicological studies show they disrupt hormones in animals, and there are suggested links to poor reproductive health and breast cancer (though more research is needed).
my thoughts
this makes me so anxious and overwhelmed - not only for myself as a black woman (a group that is apparently more affected by these chemicals than average) but also as a black woman who potentially wants to have children one day. it seems so stressful to have to worry to this extent about what products i'm using / eating / coming in contact with while i'm pregnant or trying to conceive as well as what products i put my child(ren) in contact with once they're born. how is it sustainable or realistic in any sense to be consistenly smart about these choices?
this info really makes me want to scale back my product usage, especially as it relates to my skin and body care routines. i want to go back to the drawing board and do a deep dive into not only which products i'm using, but also how many. but again, just the idea of the mental load i'll have to take on to tackle the amount of chemicals i'm coming into contact with in my daily life is so overwhelming.
it's findings like these that get me vaguely interested in the non-tox / low-tox lifestyle - but the low / non-tox to alt-right pipeline is a concerning correlation at the least, and is worthy of it's own note.
my next steps
take a look through my cosmetics and do a personal care product audit → use the skindeep or yuka apps to see what's considered toxic versus non-toxic → make a game plan for better choices when it's time to refill the toxic products.