Endocrine-disrupting chemicals from personal care products found in young children

Key takeaways:

• Higher urinary concentrations of phthalates in children were associated with the use of lotions, oils and other personal care products.
• Both inactive ingredients and plasticizers were found in urinary samples.

The use of personal care products was associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates in children aged as young as 4 years, according to a study.

Phthalates are a group of chemicals that are used in many consumer products as fragrances, solvents and more.

“Different types of phthalates tend to be used for different products,” Michael S. Bloom, PhD, professor in the department of global and community health at the College of Public Health at George Mason University, explained to Healio. “For example, low molecular weight phthalates, like DEP, tend to be used as inactive ingredients in skincare products, whereas high molecular weight phthalates, like DEHP, tend to be used in plastic packaging.”

Phthalates have been implicated in the endocrine disruption of children who are exposed to these chemicals. Potential detriments of exposure include body composition changes, childhood neurodevelopment changes and pulmonary and immune dysfunction.

While phthalate exposure can occur in many ways, the application of skincare products is one of them. However, it is unclear whether the products themselves or their plastic packaging are causing the presence of phthalates in children.

In this study, comprised of 906 children aged 4 to 8 years, Bloom and colleagues were able to estimate whether the presence of phthalates in children’s urine was more likely related to skincare products or their packaging.

According to surveys completed by the children’s mothers, 43% of children had lotion applied within 24 hours, whereas 7.5%, 5.9% and 4.3% had 2-in-1 haircare products, sunscreens and oils applied.

Results showed that the application of lotions, oils and 2-in-1 haircare products was associated with a 1.17-fold (95% CI, 1-1.34), 1.4- to 2.86-fold and 0.78- to 0.84-fold greater phthalate presence in children, respectively. Additionally, the types of phthalates present were those typically used as inactive ingredients in skincare products as well as those used in plastic packaging.

“We hypothesize that high weight phthalates used in plastic packaging for skincare products migrated into the skin care products and expose the children using them,” Bloom said. “However, we were unable to test this hypothesis in the current study.”

The researchers also found that the presence of phthalates in children varied by race and ethnicity. For example, children who identified as Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander who used hair oils saw higher levels of phthalate in their urine than white children.

On the other hand, the use of body lotion was associated with greater phthalate presence in white children, but not children who identified as Black or Hispanic. However, Black children had the highest presence of low molecular weight and high molecular weight phthalates compared with others, whereas white children had the lowest.

As clinicians, educating patients about the ingredients in popular skincare products is paramount to ensuring children’s safety, according to Bloom, and physicians may even be in a position of power to enact change.

“Physicians are uniquely positioned to influence policymakers, through their professional organizations, to restrict use of potentially harmful chemicals in skincare products that could expose young children,” he said.

With the health of children hanging in the balance, Bloom urges policymakers enact regulations to improve these products soon.

“It is important for risk assessors and policymakers to consider the multiple sources and frequency of exposure to these chemicals through habitual use of personal care products, like skin care products investigated in our study, as well as other important sources that we did not investigate, such as diet,” Bloom told Healio. “While the evidence is not definitive at present, the potential hazardous human health effects coupled to widespread and ongoing exposure in sensitive populations, including young children, demands a precautionary approach now.”