A new study published in the journal Environment International has found that reducing the number of personal care products used daily can significantly lower the body’s exposure to harmful chemical substances, including endocrine disruptors, in as little as five days. The research, conducted by scientists from Inserm, Grenoble Alpes University, and the CNRS, adds growing scientific weight to conversations around cosmetic ingredient safety and clean beauty formulation.
The study involved approximately 100 female students aged 18 to 30 in Grenoble, France, who were asked to reduce their cosmetic product usage for five days. Participants also replaced standard hygiene products such as soap and toothpaste with alternatives free from synthetic phenols, parabens, phthalates, and glycol ethers. Urinary measurements taken before and after the restriction period revealed striking reductions in chemical exposure.
Results showed a 22 percent decrease in monoethyl phthalate, a compound commonly used as a fragrance fixative, and a 30 percent reduction in methylparaben, a preservative classified as a possible endocrine disruptor by European authorities. Most significantly, researchers observed a 39 percent drop in urinary concentrations of bisphenol A, a substance classified as an endocrine disruptor and linked to conditions including breast cancer and infertility.
Notably, bisphenol A has not been authorised as a cosmetic ingredient in France since 2005. Inserm suggested its presence may be linked to contamination during manufacturing or through packaging materials, highlighting the complexity of ingredient safety beyond formulation alone.
The findings arrive at a pivotal regulatory moment, as the European Parliament prepares to vote on proposed changes to cosmetics regulations. Consumer protection groups have raised concerns that the proposed amendments could weaken existing user protections by allowing manufacturers additional time to remove substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction from their product ranges.
