NCS EXCLUSIVE: Face, body and hair products still contain hazardous chemicals despite progress

In an episode of “The Pitt,” a hospital drama on HBO Max, a younger TikTok magnificence influencer named Nandi is discovered roaming the streets of New York, strolling dangerously into visitors whereas screaming at automobiles and individuals.

(HBO Max is owned by NCS’s mum or dad firm, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Nandi is experiencing extreme insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her shortly deteriorating situation bewilders the emergency room employees. Finally, an enterprising resident finds she has mercury poisoning from an uncommon supply — an imported facial moisturizer she promotes in her movies.

In the spirit of artwork imitating life, the episode calls consideration to the proliferation of probably poisonous chemicals within the products many people slather every day on our face, body and hair.

According to a 2021 analysis of 231 cosmetics bought within the United States and Canada, 52% contain chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds — recognized hormone disruptors which were linked to numerous health concerns.

Some of the very best ranges had been present in foundations (63%), waterproof mascara (82%) and long-lasting lipstick (62%). The report additionally discovered 88% of products with PFAS didn’t disclose their presence on the label, leaving shoppers with no option to defend themselves.

Beauty products marketed to Black ladies have lengthy been recognized to contain hazardous elements. For instance, some 50% of hair straighteners contain poisonous chemicals akin to formaldehyde, which is linked to most cancers.

Yet there’s a bit of sunshine on the horizon — no less than within the United States — based on the 2025 Beauty & Personal Care Ingredient Intelligence Report compiled by ChemFORWARD, a nonprofit devoted to analyzing trade hazard information to encourage producers to make use of safer chemicals of their private care products.

“Verified safety is on the rise, with chemicals of concern appearing in fewer products and down 2% overall,” stated Stacy Glass, cofounder and govt director of ChemFORWARD. “This shows that it’s possible to identify and manage toxic chemical exposure in personal care products with industry cooperation.”

However, the ChemFORWARD report additionally discovered almost 4% of the products proceed to ceaselessly use a “small but critical group of high hazard chemicals,” particularly in lip colours, moisturizers, concealers, shampoos and conditioners.

While that share seems small, it’s necessary to recollect the 50,000 products ChemFORWARD analyzed is a tiny fraction of the worldwide private care trade, stated David Andrews, performing chief science officer for the Environmental Working Group or EWG, a client well being nonprofit that gives its personal database of toxicity information on particular products from over 6,000 manufacturers.

“Even when companies do formulate to remove hazardous chemicals, those chemicals may not be removed from the entire market,” Andrews stated. “That leaves consumers vulnerable — which products do they avoid when they’re going to the store?”

ChemFORWARD analyzed the ingredient lists of almost 50,000 products supplied by its trade companions, which embrace Dow, Counter, Credo Beauty, Inolex, Sephora, The Honest Company and Ulta Beauty. All are a part of the Know Better, Do Better (KBDB) Collaborative.

More than 71% of the 1.25 million elements analyzed for the report had been discovered to be secure or low concern for each human well being and the atmosphere. Such elements embrace glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which assist pores and skin retain moisture. Other examples embrace iron oxides — which add colour to make-up and are sun- and blue light-protective — and tocopheryl acetate, an artificial type of vitamin E that protects pores and skin from free radicals.

However, everyone seems to be completely different, so allergic reactions or pores and skin sensitivity could still happen in some individuals, Glass stated.

Over 24% of the chemicals within the evaluation, nonetheless, couldn’t be assessed resulting from an absence of proof on their security profile, “representing a major blind spot in consumer safety and brand risk,” based on the report.

“Just as a ‘fat free’ snack can be loaded with unhealthy levels of salt and sugars, so can a ‘free of’ cosmetic be loaded with chemicals for which there is no evidence of safety,” the report stated.

Botanicals are a great instance of the place it may be troublesome to find out toxicity, stated Heather McKenney, science and safer chemistry lead for ChemFORWARD.

“There’s the assumption that they’re safe, but they’re very difficult to characterize — the root versus the leaf versus the stem and how it was grown and processed — to have sufficient data to understand whether or not it is a potential carcinogen, mutagen or reproductive toxicant,” McKenney stated.

Industry is consistently including new chemicals so there’ll at all times be elements that must be examined for potential toxicity, McKenney stated.

“The consumer should not have to be responsible for this decision,” she stated. “It should be up to the manufacturers that are making these products, and we need to get more of the industry on board. Any brand that acknowledges that they’ve got work to do, is in my mind, on the opposite side of greenwashing.”

Consumers can verify labels for essentially the most ceaselessly used chemicals given D and F hazard scores within the ChemFORWARD report.

Often added to pores and skin and hair products to create a silky, nongreasy really feel, F-rated silicones cyclopentasiloxane and cyclomethicone had been essentially the most prevalent poisonous ingredient in all the products, based on the report. The European Union has restricted the usage of each chemicals in wash-off cosmetics resulting from considerations over hurt to aquatic animals.

Another F-rated ingredient to observe for on labels is methylparaben — early analysis finds parabens mimic estrogen and could disrupt the body’s hormonal or endocrine system, based on the report. Methylparaben is utilized in make-up, moisturizers, shampoos, sunscreens and different products to inhibit mould.

D&C Red 27, 28 or Acid Red 92, which acquired D scores, are thought to disrupt the reproductive, hormonal and immune system and could accumulate in each people and wildlife, based on the evaluation. The dyes are sometimes utilized in long-lasting lip stains.

Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, one other D-rated ingredient within the evaluation, is well absorbed by the pores and skin and regarded as an endocrine disruptor in addition to poisonous to aquatic life. It’s a preservative utilized in many products — lotions, lotions, deodorants, fragrances, lipsticks, eyeliners and eye shadows, to call just a few.

The excellent news is that there are safer substitutes that can be utilized by the trade as extra producers transfer to cut back toxins, Glass stated.

“We feel very emboldened in beauty and personal care that there’s a lot that can be accomplished with strategic substitution,” she stated. “We believe our report shows the transition to safer chemistry is actively underway.”

Get impressed by a weekly roundup on dwelling nicely, made easy. Sign up for NCS’s Life, But Better newsletter for info and instruments designed to enhance your well-being.