Personal care products are awash in unlabeled toxic chemicals, study finds
Even products labeled ‘eco’, ‘green’ or ‘natural’ can contain dangerous compounds including Pfas
Common personal care products widely contain unlabeled toxic chemicals, results from a new peer-reviewed study suggest. The testing of more than 110 items ranging from shampoo to baby lotions found evidence of unlabeled toxic chemicals in about 85%.
Many contained multiple ingredients known to be carcinogens or health hazards, and even 26% of products labeled “eco”, “green” or “natural” contained at least one dangerous compound. The products averaged more than three times as many chemicals than were listed on labels.
It is unclear whether the products are intentionally adulterated, or unintentionally contaminated. Either way, the findings raise further questions about the safety of everyday goods already under scrutiny for their health risks, and the authors say the study highlights the need for stricter oversight, including mandatory testing.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/23/personal-care-products-unlabeled-toxic-chemicalsOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
5 replies
The title of the article is ignorantly misleading, and the core paper is intentionally misleading. They very explicitly state that their grading is not based on dose or exposure, only on detection with a threshold of 1 ppm. The fun thing about positive/negative testing is that if you have a sensitive enough test you can find just about anything.
There's a good reason they're not naming-and-shaming: this study was performed by the "nonprofit arm" of the company "million marker." Their products include similar scattergun tests trying to take advantage of people, particulalry vulnerable couples experiencing fertility issues. Their website is full of pseudoscientific and tautalogical claims, implying health benefits while being careful not to promise anything: "The good news is that if you follow our recommendations and eliminate the sources of exposure, you can dramatically decrease your exposure levels." Their "services" also include elimination coaching: naming products to avoid undermines the core message of the study: "this problem is EVERYWHERE... and only we can help."
Imagine going to all this work and then your dumb ass doesn't include the product names for fear that it will upset companies. Fucking scientists.
They really need to learn that when you find information that is important to public health, and publish it in journal - you are a journalist and should be legally and ethically bound to tell everyone which products passed, and which failed.
Yeah, we still don’t know which (most, apparently) tampons contain lead and arsenic.
the ones I buy surely contain 100% pure snake oil though
I recommend coconut oil instead