The Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals Hiding in Plain Sight: Your Beauty Routine

Personal care products are meant to make us feel better, not worse. Whether we use them to get clean, feel attractive or just smell nice, these items shouldn’t increase your risk of serious health conditions.

Unfortunately, a huge percentage of personal care products (PCPs) contain ingredients that are known to disrupt hormone activity. If we were exposed to just one ingredient occasionally, the concern wouldn’t be huge. But many people use multiple items and types of items every single day for years.

That kind of exposure makes a difference, one that we are beginning to see in generation after generation.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals come in many forms and can be found in different types of products. In order to avoid them, it helps to know what to look for on ingredients lists.

Bisphenol A in Personal Care Products

Bisphenol A (BPA) is probably most known for being used in the lining of canned goods. It was even used in baby formula packaging and bottles before being banned for those uses in 2012.

BPA is still used in the packaging of PCPs, including baby lotions and powders. The BPA then leaches into the products during manufacturing or storage, especially if stored at higher temperatures.

BPA’s action is similar to that of estradiol, so it binds with and activates estrogen receptors in place of the estradiol.

Exposure to BPA has been associated with disrupted egg production in the ovaries, health of the eggs and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Higher BPA levels in urine are also associated with higher risk of failure to implant in people undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Among those who are already pregnant, BPA exposure has been found to decrease IQ levels of the resulting children.

In addition, the risk of hormone-dependent cancers may increase with BPA exposure, including that of breast, ovaries and prostate.

One surprising place to find BPA is in dental sealants, coatings used to prevent tooth decay and cavities.

Although PCPs list ingredients, they don’t have to share what their packaging is made from. Look for products that state that they are free from BPA. Generally, it is used to synthesize plastic and resin so it would not be found in glass and metal containers.

Phthalates in Personal Care Products

Hard to pronounce, phthalates are unfortunately easy to find in a number of PCPs.

Phthalates are a category of chemicals used to give plastics flexibility, transparency and durability. They are most commonly found in nail polishes and as fragrance called diethyl phthalate.

In order to protect trade secrets, PCPs do not have to label what the sources of fragrances are, so anything containing “fragrance” could actually contain phthalates. 

Similar to BPA, phthalates mimic natural estrogen, leading to less of the real hormone being produced. This can lead to effects on puberty, premature ovarian failure (POF) and even cancer.

Additionally, phthalates affect the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis, which triggers the growth and development of follicles in the ovaries. They also negatively impact the eggs’ ability to be implanted during IVF.

The news isn’t better for men. Phthalates’ effects can also cause lower sperm count and activity and even genital abnormalities in young boys.

Even if pregnancy isn’t the goal, phthalates are best avoided. A 2011 study found that women with advanced-stage endometriosis were more likely to have high plasma levels of phthalates.

And one from 2017 found higher levels in girls who had started puberty earlier than average.

Parabens in Personal Care Products

One of the mostly widely used preservatives in PCPs are parabens. And unfortunately, they are known to absorb very well into the skin and have been found in blood, urine, breastmilk, tissue and the placenta.

There are a number of types of parabens and some have been banned or reduced in usage over the years. But some types are still easy to find in moisturizers and lotions, cleansers, sunscreen, deodorant, toothpaste and makeup because of their anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities.

Generally, the longer chain versions of parabens can cause the most harm, including propylparaben, isopropylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Just like other endocrine disruptors, this group of chemicals can negatively impact female reproduction and male fertility. They can also affect thyroid function.

Breast cancer cells may also be more likely to grow and spread when  exposed to parabens.

Study after study show that the small amounts of these chemicals aren’t the problem. It is the long-term exposure over multiple products.

Heavy Metals in Personal Care Products

There is no way to dispute the health risks involved in exposure to heavy metals. These have long been known and steps have been taken to eliminate or at least reduce these toxins from items we use regularly.

But for some reason, heavy metals in health and beauty products we buy all the time continue to be a problem.

Mercury in skin lightening creams, nickel and lead in sunblock, aluminum in antiperspirants, and so much more are everyday occurrences. And while heavy metals are used as ingredients, unlike the other endocrine disruptors, heavy metals can also be present due to contamination. 

Contamination makes avoiding certain chemicals more tricky because it means you won’t find the offender on an ingredients list.

Mercury can interfere with hormone-binding receptors and can cause a stress response by disrupting the axis between the hypothalamic, pituitary and adrenal glands. Lead exposure can delay sexual development and affect menstrual cycles. And lead, cadmium and mercury may have the ability to decrease follicular growth, alter sperm cells and reduce sperm count and motility.

It’s Never Too Late to Clean Up Your Routine

With the exception of heavy metals that are hard to flush out of your system, the good news is that most endocrine-disrupting chemicals are not stored long-term in your body.

Studies indicate that once you eliminate problematic PCPs, your EDC levels begin to decline. The amount of BPA, phthalates and parabens found in urine declines rapidly after products stop being used.

Nutrition Therapist Masters focus mostly on what foods and drinks you put in your mouth. But they also know that nutrition includes anything absorbed into the body.

And we know that what we put on our skin ends up inside our bodies just as much as what we eat.

This means that the products we use regularly, whether for health or beauty or both, are a true part of our diet.

And no matter what stage of life you are in, and what gender you are, avoiding anything that disrupts our hormones should be avoided. This means going out of your way to PCPs free of BPA, phthalates, parabens and heavy metals.

Interested in making a career out of your passion for nutrition? The Nutrition Therapy Institute is the best place to take the first step in becoming a Nutrition Therapist Master.

You can learn all about the NTM certification program and what makes NTI’s approach unique.

About the author: Maya Strausberg earned her Master Nutrition Therapist certification from NTI before starting her nutrition therapy private practice. She now offers writing and editing services for nutritionists and other health practitioners around the world through her business, Family Tree Nutrition.

Images:

1. Image by VirgoStudio from Pixabay
2. Image by AdoreBeautyNZ from Pixabay
3. Free for use under the Pixabay Content License