Women Put an Average of 168 Chemicals on Their Bodies Daily

By Dr. Mercola

Almost 13,000 chemicals are used in cosmetics, and only about 10 percent have been evaluated for safety. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate harmful ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, they don't often exercise it…

How Many Chemicals Does Your Beauty Routine Expose You To?

The average US woman uses 12 personal care products and/or cosmetics a day, containing 168 different chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). While most men use fewer products, they're still exposed to about 85 such chemicals daily, while teens, who use an average of 17 personal care products a day, are exposed to even more.3

Clearly, such chemical exposures are not insignificant, especially when they occur virtually daily for a lifetime. When EWG tested teens to find out which chemicals in personal care products were found in their bodies, 16 different hormone-altering chemicals, including parabens and phthalates, were detected.4

There are other chemicals risks as well. For instance, in 2000 the EWG released a study showing that 37 nail polishes from 22 companies contained dibutyl phthalate (DBP). DBP is known to cause lifelong reproductive impairments in male rats, and has been shown to damage the testes, prostate gland, epididymus, penis, and seminal vesicles in animals.

It's used in nail polish because it increases flexibility and shine, but research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that all 289 people tested had DBP in their bodies.5 Worse still, this chemical, which is linked to birth defects in animals, was found at the highest levels in women of childbearing age.