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Fast Company
13-05-2025
- Health
- Fast Company
Your soap, lotion, and shampoo may contain formaldehyde
Common personal care and beauty products like lotions, soaps, shampoos, eyeliner, and even eyelash glue can contain formaldehyde or preservatives that release formaldehyde—a known carcinogen that has been linked to cancer. And Black and Latina women could be at particular risk. Formaldehyde is a preservative (it's a key ingredient of embalming fluid) and so it's sometimes added to beauty products as a way to extend their shelf life and inhibit the growth of bacteria or mold. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are seen as an alternative to formaldehyde, but these chemical compounds do the same thing: they extend shelf life while slowly releasing formaldehyde into the product over time (just how much depends on multiple factors, but studies suggest longer storage times and higher temperatures lead to more formaldehyde released). That formaldehyde could then be absorbed by the skin, and even though the amount may be small, experts say low levels of formaldehyde still pose health risks. Personal care products are often used frequently, so repeated exposures could add up. These chemicals have already been found in hair-straightening products, which are predominantly used by Black women. A new study, recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, found that this risk extends beyond chemical hair relaxers to all sorts of beauty products: lotions, shower gels, face creams, shampoo and conditioners, hair oils, eyeliner, eyelash glue, and so on. In that study, researchers asked a group of Black and Latina women in Los Angeles about their use of personal care products over a week. More than half reported using items that contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives—and many of those products are ones that the participants used daily, or multiple times in a week. Finding formaldehyde in beauty products For the study, 64 Black and Latina women were tasked with tracking all of their beauty product use, logging the information in an app developed by the Silent Spring Institute, a research organization focused on the environmental causes of breast cancer. (Silent Spring chemists authored the study, and it was part of a larger research effort between Silent Spring, Occidental College Black Women for Wellness, and Columbia University.) That app also asked them to take a photo of each ingredient label, which allowed the researchers to analyze the ingredient lists for formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives often go by complex chemical names like 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, also called DMDM hydantoin or DMDMH, meaning they don't actually appear as 'formaldehyde' on ingredient lists. Fifty-three percent of participants said they used at least one product with formaldehyde releasers on its ingredient label, and DMDMH was the most common. Of the items that contained any formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, DMDMH was in 47% of skincare and 58% of hair products. The fact that these toxic chemicals are in so many products highlights the health risks women face, particularly Black and Latina women. One woman in the study used three products with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives: a leave-in conditioner, rinse-off conditioner, and a body wash. Some women used these products multiple times a day, like hand soap or lotion. Over a five day period, 20 study participants used lotions with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives for a total of 76 times. One eyelash glue even specifically listed formaldehyde as an ingredient. The preservatives were also found in hair gels, oils, curl creams, and edge controls, predominantly used by Black women. The study didn't list specific brands or product names containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, though it did note that 12 such lotions were from Bath & Body Works. 'While this study does not specify which of body lotions its participants were using, we rigorously test formulas for all our personal care and home fragrance products, including FRPs to meet regulatory and safety standards,' a Bath & Body Works spokesperson said in a statement. Protecting consumers from formaldehyde releasers Formaldehyde exposure is linked to adverse health effects, including increased risk of multiple types of cancer. Researchers say there's been a growing concern about formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and how personal care products that contain them could pose a risk to women's health, particularly Black and Latina women. Previous studies have connected the use of hair relaxers to an increased risk of uterine cancer in Black women. Others say these formaldehyde-releasing chemicals aren't a concern. Unilever, for example, has a web page about how it doesn't use formaldehyde as an ingredient but does use 'formaldehyde donors' like DMDMH. It says they're safe to use, per the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel and Europe's Scientific Community on Consumer Safety. Still, in Europe, products with formaldehyde are more regulated. The European Union has banned formaldehyde in cosmetics, and requires any cosmetics with formaldehyde releasers above a 0.001% concentration to have a warning label. The U.S. currently doesn't ban formaldehyde in cosmetics (a federal ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers in chemical hair straighteners was considered back in 2023, and is currently stalled after President Donald Trump paused all federal regulations). At least 10 states, including California and Oregon, have enacted or considered laws to regulate formaldehyde in cosmetics—either by banning it, or requiring warning labels for formaldehyde releasers. There has been a drop in products containing formaldehyde in California after the state's Safe Cosmetics Program began in 2007, but experts say even beyond warning labels, banning formaldehyde releasers completely across the country would be the best-case scenario to reduce risks. The researchers suggest people avoid products containing DMDMH. Silent Spring has resources for how people can avoid formaldehyde releasers, including by noting the other chemical names for such preservatives that may appear on ingredient lists. Black Women for Wellness also has resources for consumers concerned about chemical exposure. 'We're trying to do the right thing,' Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness, says in a statement. 'But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn't have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alarming number of women's shampoos, lotions and body soap found to have this cancer-causing chemical
A new study has found that an alarming number of personal care products contain a known carcinogen. Formaldehyde has been linked to cancer — but the chemical, and preservatives that release it, are often added to personal care products to extend their shelf life. And new research found this chemical lurking in items like shampoo, lotions, body soap and eyelash glue. In recent years, the conversation about formaldehyde exposure has largely focused on hair relaxers. Boston University researchers found that postmenopausal black women who used relaxers most often had a greater than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer compared to those who never or seldom used them. This new study shows that the problem extends even further. 'We found that this isn't just about hair straighteners,' says lead author Dr. Robin Dodson, an exposure scientist at Silent Spring Institute. 'These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies. Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm.' The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, had black and Latina women log their product use for about a week, sharing photos of the ingredient labels. The team team analyzed over 1,100 product ingredient lists looking for formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Fifty-three percent of participants reported using at least one personal care product that listed formaldehyde releasers on its label. What's more troubling is that study participants applied many of these products daily or multiple times per week. Researchers found DMDM hydantoin to be the most common formaldehyde-releasing preservative, with roughly 47% of skincare products and 58% of hair products with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives containing DMDM hydantoin. However, as Dodson notes, this list is not definitive. 'Those are just the ones we knew to look for. There could be more that we're not aware of,' she said. This research was part of the larger Taking Stock Study, a collaboration between Occidental College, Black Women for Wellness, Silent Spring and Columbia University that investigates how exposures to chemicals in beauty products contribute to health inequities for black women and Latinas in California. While many women have learned to avoid beauty products with formaldehyde on the label, many are uninformed about formaldehyde releasers. 'We're trying to do the right thing. But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn't have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick,' said Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness. Dodson agrees that it is challenging for consumers to identify formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, as 'They have long, weird, funny names, and they typically don't have the word formaldehyde in them.' Silent Spring's website contains tips on how to avoid formaldehyde releasers and an app called Detox Me that is designed to help consumers choose safer alternatives. To reduce exposure, Dodson believes companies should be required, as they are in Europe, to add warning labels to products that contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Better than a warning, says Dodson, would be an outright ban. 'Ideally, companies shouldn't be putting these chemicals in products in the first place.' Dodson and her research team encourage consumers to advocate for better, safer legislation. In kind, the European Union and at least 10 US states have banned or proposed to ban formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers in personal care products. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a national ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers in hair straighteners, but it has yet to be enacted.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Study finds cancer-causing chemicals in several popular beauty products used by Black and Latina women
Many Black and Latina women are regularly using beauty products which contain cancer-causing chemicals — and not just in hair straightening products, a new study reveals. Several lotions, cleansers and other beauty products marketed to Black and Latina women contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, according to a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science & Technology Letters journal. These chemicals are known carcinogens, which means they can cause cancer or help it grow. The study was based on surveys filled out by 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles. Each time one of the women used a personal care product, they took a picture of the ingredient label and sent it to researchers via an app. Fifty-three percent of the women used at least one personal care product that listed formaldehyde releasers on its label, the study found. These women also reported using many of these products daily or multiple times per week. The carcinogen was found in 58 percent of the haircare products reported, the study revealed. But women also reported using shampoo, lotions, body soap and eyelash glue that contain the carcinogen. Twelve of the lotions containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives that the women reported using were from the same brand: Bath & Body Works. The Independent has contacted Bath & Body Works for comment. Formaldehyde presents an 'unreasonable risk of injury to human health' in current practices, the Environmental Protection Agency said in January. Previous studies had already revealed the carcinogen is in products to help straighten hair or smooth curls, and it poses a disproportionate risk to Black women and other women of color. This week's study is the first to demonstrate that the carcinogen is in a wide variety of products beyond hair straighteners, according to the researchers. 'We found that this isn't just about hair straighteners,' lead author Dr. Robin Dodson said in a press release. 'These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies. Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm.' Dodson said it can be hard for consumers to identify which products contain formaldehyde: 'They have long, weird, funny names, and they typically don't have the word formaldehyde in them.' One of the key chemicals to stay away from is the formaldehyde-releasing preservative DMDM hydantoin, she said. Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of the advocacy organization Black Women for Wellness, called for greater government oversight of these products. 'We're trying to do the right thing,' Flint said in a statement 'But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn't have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick.' The European Union and ten U.S. states have banned or proposed a ban on formaldehyde. The Food and Drug Administration even proposed a national ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in 2023, but it has yet to be enacted. But Dodson said the best solution would be ending the use of these chemicals in personal products altogether. 'Ideally, companies shouldn't be putting these chemicals in products in the first place,' she said.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Study finds cancer-causing chemicals in several popular beauty products used by Black and Latina women
Many Black and Latina women are regularly using beauty products which contain cancer-causing chemicals — and not just in hair straightening products, a new study reveals. Several lotions, cleansers and other beauty products marketed to Black and Latina women contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, according to a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science & Technology Letters journal. These chemicals are known carcinogens, which means they can cause cancer or help it grow. The study was based on surveys filled out by 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles. Each time one of the women used a personal care product, they took a picture of the ingredient label and sent it to researchers via an app. Fifty-three percent of the women used at least one personal care product that listed formaldehyde releasers on its label, the study found. These women also reported using many of these products daily or multiple times per week. The carcinogen was found in 58 percent of the haircare products reported, the study revealed. But women also reported using shampoo, lotions, body soap and eyelash glue that contain the carcinogen. Twelve of the lotions containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives that the women reported using were from the same brand: Bath & Body Works. The Independent has contacted Bath & Body Works for comment. Formaldehyde presents an 'unreasonable risk of injury to human health' in current practices, the Environmental Protection Agency said in January. Previous studies had already revealed the carcinogen is in products to help straighten hair or smooth curls, and it poses a disproportionate risk to Black women and other women of color. This week's study is the first to demonstrate that the carcinogen is in a wide variety of products beyond hair straighteners, according to the researchers. 'We found that this isn't just about hair straighteners,' lead author Dr. Robin Dodson said in a press release. 'These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies. Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm.' Dodson said it can be hard for consumers to identify which products contain formaldehyde: 'They have long, weird, funny names, and they typically don't have the word formaldehyde in them.' One of the key chemicals to stay away from is the formaldehyde-releasing preservative DMDM hydantoin, she said. Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of the advocacy organization Black Women for Wellness, called for greater government oversight of these products. 'We're trying to do the right thing,' Flint said in a statement 'But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn't have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick.' The European Union and ten U.S. states have banned or proposed a ban on formaldehyde. The Food and Drug Administration even proposed a national ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in 2023, but it has yet to be enacted. But Dodson said the best solution would be ending the use of these chemicals in personal products altogether. 'Ideally, companies shouldn't be putting these chemicals in products in the first place,' she said.
