Reducing your use of cosmetics can quickly lower your exposure to certain chemical pollutants

Using fewer cosmetics and skincare products can rapidly reduce exposure to several chemicals, including known or suspected endocrine disruptors, according to a study published on April 7 in Environment International by researchers from Inserm, the University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA), and the CNRS, at the Institute for the Advancement of Biosciences, and supported by the European Commission. Conducted among about 100 students women, the study shows that reducing the number of cosmetics and skincare products used and opting for alternatives free of several compounds suspected of having adverse health effects (including methylparaben and certain phthalates) leads to a decrease in urinary concentrations of these substances in just five days. A decrease in bisphenol A concentration was also observed. This substance, classified by the European Union as “of very high concern,” is a proven endocrine disruptor and suspected reproductive toxin, now banned in cosmetics. For the first time in this type of study, the researchers conducted a health impact assessment to estimate the potential health and economic benefits of such a change in cosmetic routines at the population level.