According to a report from the Food and Drug Administration, more than 1,000 personal care products that people use every day may contain chemicals that are permanently toxic.
As of 2024, more than 50 PFAS ingredients were found in approximately 1,700 unique personal care products, the report found.
This ingredient is added to cosmetics with claims to improve the product’s texture, durability, and water resistance, and to enhance skin smoothness and radiance.
This means many Americans may be applying products containing PFAS to their faces, eyes, and skin every day, and sometimes multiple times a day.
Why are so many PFAS in personal care products?
Certain PFAS are intentionally added as ingredients in some cosmetic products, such as lipsticks, eye shadows, moisturizers, nail polish and enamels, blushers, and cleansers.
These PFAS are used in cosmetics to condition, smooth, and shine skin and hair, and to affect the consistency and texture of products.
However, some PFAS can also be present in cosmetics unintentionally, as a result of impurities in raw materials or the degradation of intentionally added PFAS ingredients, potentially forming other types of PFAS.
Key findings from the report
The FDA study evaluated the use and safety of PFAS, which were intentionally added as ingredients in cosmetics sold in the United States.
The researchers analyzed data on 430,134 personal care products submitted to authorities between December 2023 and August 2024.
Key findings include:
1,744 products, or 0.41%, contained intentionally added PFAS. 51 individual PFAS were used as cosmetic ingredients. PFAS ingredients were found in eye shadow (20.5% of products), face and neck skin care (15.9%), eyeliner (8.4%), face powder (6.6%), and foundation (4.5%). The most commonly used PFAS was polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which was reported in 490 cases. PFAS accounts for 28.1% of all cosmetics.
Are PFAS in personal care products a cause for concern?
Research has shown that cosmetics can contain high concentrations of multiple PFAS and can be a significant source of exposure to short-chain PFAS.
The FDA has found that there is insufficient toxicological data to determine the safety of most PFAS in personal care products. This means that authorities do not yet fully understand the potential health risks of applying these permanent chemicals to the skin every day.
However, the report warned of potential safety concerns in body lotions for one PFAS chemical, perfluorohexylethyltriethoxysilane, when used at its highest reported concentration, based on animal studies that showed effects on the nervous system.
Regarding other compounds, the FDA noted that its evaluation shows that some PFAS may pose a “lesser safety concern” in beauty products when used as intended.
Towards a toxic-free future: Regulating the use of PFAS in cosmetics
The Cosmetic Regulatory Modernization Act of 2022 (MoCRA) is the most significant expansion of FDA’s authority to regulate cosmetics since the passage of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) in 1938.
Through this, FDA evaluates the scientific evidence regarding the use of PFAS in cosmetics and their safety, including the risks associated with their use. MoCRA further provides that FDA will consult with the National Center for Toxicology Research, as appropriate, to evaluate the safety of PFAS in cosmetics.
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