You may have read media reports of a new study* from the US which claim make-up could put you at risk of early menopause. This is not true. The chemicals identified in the study are not used in cosmetics in the EU.
What does the study say?
The study focus is on the effect of exposure to industrialised chemicals on early menopause. Of the 111 chemicals tested for, 15 were identified as having the potential to bring on an earlier menopause.
Unlike the media reports, this study does not link any cosmetic use to the conclusions drawn.
Dr Chris Flower, Former Director-General of CTPA, a toxicologist and Chartered Biologist, says: "I am concerned that journalists may not have actually read the report itself and understood what it said. At no time do the authors of the study draw a link between their findings and ingredients in make-up and personal care products, as suggested in some of the alarming headlines."
"The two phthalates mentioned are not used as ingredients in make-up in the EU. They are breakdown products (metabolites) of the phthalate DEHP, which is itself banned from all cosmetics in the EU. The other chemicals highlighted in the study are pesticides or industrial chemicals, none of which have any role to play as cosmetic ingredients."
*Persistent Organic Pollutants and Early Menopause in US Women
Natalia M Grindler et al.
PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0116057 January 28, 2015
