A new peer-reviewed study finds that many personal care products used by Black women and Latinas every day contain harmful chemicals linked to serious health risks, including cancer.
The researchers discovered that more than half of the products contained the known carcinogen formaldehyde or preservatives that release formaldehyde.
The Taking Stock study assessed products like cleansers, lotions, shampoos and soaps, used by a cohort of 70 women in South Los Angeles.
Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are added to prevent bacteria and extend shelf life or sometimes as a functional ingredient. Used in cosmetics, formaldehyde-releasers are ingredients that can cause lung toxicity and expose consumers to formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and strong skin allergen.
The researchers looked at product labels on personal care products to check for the presence of both formaldehyde and releasers. Even though these ingredients weren’t in every product, the study found that more than half of the participants use at least one that contains a formaldehyde-releasing chemical.
Most women used multiple products each day, raising concerns about ongoing exposure to formaldehyde-releasers, especially when these ingredients are not easy to spot on labels.
The study found the most common formaldehyde-releaser was DMDM hydantoin, in lotion, shampoo and body wash. EWG has previously found it is also a common ingredient used in hair dyes. Other releasers the researchers found in personal care products included diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium-15. Since there are many different formaldehyde-releasers, it is hard for consumers to avoid them.
Lowering your exposure
For over a decade, EWG has urged consumers to avoid the use of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
EWG’s own research has consistently found that products marketed to Black women often contain more hazardous ingredients than those marketed to the general public.
The new study adds to that body of evidence, showing that even though the number of products containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives has declined, they’re still commonly used, particularly in products marketed to communities of color.
Formaldehyde is now banned or restricted in cosmetics in some states, like California, Maryland and Washington. But there is no federal ban and the chemical is still used in some professional salon treatments, like hair straighteners, which have been linked to long-term health issues, including cancer.
EWG has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration multiple times calling for stronger action, like a ban of formaldehyde in hair-straightening treatments.
You don’t have to be a chemist to protect yourself from these harmful ingredients. EWG offers tools to help consumers make safer choices:
- Check products using the Skin Deep® database, which lets you search by product name or ingredient and shows safety ratings at a glance.
- Look for the EWG Verified® mark when shopping for personal care products. These products meet our strictest standards and do not contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
When reading ingredient labels, try to avoid products that list:
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- Diazolidinyl urea
- Quaternium-15
The L.A. study is a powerful reminder that the products consumers use every day can expose them to harmful chemicals – and that exposure is not always equal. Communities of color, particularly Black women and Latinas, are more likely to face this health risk, both because of the way products are marketed and long-standing racist beauty standards.
