Eternity Poison, Angel – what’s common about all these words, apart from their celestial fleur? These are the names of bestselling fragrances that contain phthalates, a group of dangerous toxic chemicals that are linked to reproductive birth defects and other illnesses, according to studies that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Toxicology Program and other governmental agencies say are likely to predict human health effects.

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Recent lab tests found phthalates in 72 of beauty products tested, including top-selling hair sprays, deodorants and fragrances, among them Eternity by Calvin Klein, Angel by Thierry Mugler, Poison by Christian Dior.  The products did not list phthalates on the labels.

Phtalates are found in many top-selling beauty products. While Cosmetics Ingredients Review (CIR) says phthalates are “safe as currently used,” recent medical data contradicts this notion. Phthalates are known reproductive toxins, and while they may be safe in very low levels, women are exposed to phthalates from many sources during the day. Phthalates are present in nail polishes, hair products, fragrances, toys, vinyl shower curtains, car seats which all join forces to create dangerously high levels of phthalates in body.   Even though the amounts of this toxic chemical in beauty products are minuscule, scientists warn that their combined effect could pose health problems.

What Science Says

             A growing body of research indicates that phthalates are not worth the risk. A 2000 study by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that phthalate levels in young women  may be 20 times higher than average. Same year, a study at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan linked the use of phthalates in beauty products to early puberty in girls. Researchers from several different environmental groups say that phthalates, which disrupt hormone function, may contribute to the rising incidence of uterine problems in women, testicular cancer in men and infertility in both sexes. Studies conducted at Harvard University in Cambridge in 2002 and 2003 linked the chemicals to decreased sperm counts in men. The chemicals in question include di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP, commonly found in nail polish) and di(2-ehtylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, found in perfumes). Most often, they are hiding under word “fragrance” in the ingredient list.

Double Standards

            The European Union has banned phthalates from all cosmetics and a coalition of advocacy groups has given U.S. companies a notion to support a ban. Some cosmetic brands, including Body Shop, Urban Decay and Aveda – all parts of Estee Lauder beauty empire – have already volunteered to remove phthalates from all their products. Other U.S.-based cosmetic companies are balking at the proposed ban.  The U.S. Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association calls the European regulation “unnecessary” and dismisses research on phthalates for two reasons: Phthalate levels in cosmetics are well within U.S. safety standards and because most studies on the chemicals’ ill effects have been conducted on animals and not humans. At the same time, The National Toxicology Program lists phthalates as carcinogens.

And here comes the most cynical part: while American cosmetic manufacturers refused to reformulate their products and remove phthalates from products sold on the U.S. soil, in 2004 they agreed to use substitutes for phthalates in beauty products shipped to Europe.

Today, nail polishes made by Revlon, Procter and Gamble’s Max Factor and Cover Girl, and Estee Lauder’s Clinique and MAC are phthalate-free. And that’s pretty much it when it comes to the ban. U.S. cosmetic companies are not required by law to mention phthalates in ingredient lists. Hundreds of bestselling skincare and makeup products  including foundations, blushers, hair sprays and leave-on conditioners, fragrances and even baby products are still loaded with phthalates.