Cosmetics and personal care products can expose people to substances that interact with hormone systems. Researchers are investigating whether particular ingredients, mixtures and patterns of use contribute to adverse health effects. The evidence differs substantially between chemicals and products.
Three questions must be kept separate: can a substance affect hormone activity; how much reaches the body during use; and does that exposure cause harm? A laboratory finding, a chemical detected in urine and an association with disease each answer different questions. None alone establishes the risk from a finished cosmetic product.
This article explains the evidence and selected regulatory developments available as of 16 October 2026, with Australian sunscreen advice included.
What does endocrine disruption mean?
The endocrine system uses hormones to regulate processes including growth, metabolism and reproduction. Chemicals can mimic, block or otherwise interfere with hormone action. Demonstrating hormonal activity is an important research finding, but establishing an adverse effect through that mechanism requires further evidence.
The Endocrine Society’s EDC-2 scientific statement highlights low-dose effects, complex dose-response relationships and vulnerability during development. These principles help explain why exposure timing and mixtures deserve attention. They do not establish that every suspected chemical is harmful at every concentration, or that a smaller exposure is necessarily more dangerous.
Source: Endocrine Society: EDC-2 scientific statement.
Ingredients under investigation
Parabens
Parabens are preservatives used to limit microbial growth. Members of this group differ in their biological activity and safety assessments, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
The US Food and Drug Administration states that it currently has no information showing that parabens, as used in cosmetics, affect human health. That is a qualified assessment of available evidence, rather than proof that every paraben is harmless in every use. Preservative selection also matters for product microbiological safety.
Source: FDA: Parabens in Cosmetics.
Phthalates and fragrance
Different phthalates have different uses and evidence. Historically, dibutyl phthalate was used in nail products, dimethyl phthalate in hair sprays and diethyl phthalate, or DEP, in fragrances. FDA’s latest cited survey, conducted in 2010, found the first two were rarely used in the cosmetics surveyed; this is not a current global market count.
FDA states that it does not have safety concerns about DEP as currently used in cosmetics and fragrances. This statement should not be extended to every phthalate or exposure setting. US labelling rules allow fragrance mixtures to be listed collectively, which can prevent consumers from identifying individual fragrance constituents.
Source: FDA: Phthalates in Cosmetics.
Triclosan and triclocarban
These antimicrobial ingredients have been assessed for potential endocrine effects. EU Regulation 2024/996 tightened their permitted uses and conditions; it did not impose a blanket prohibition on both chemicals. The rules distinguish product categories, concentrations and age-related toothpaste restrictions. A deadline for removing non-compliant products does not mean every product containing either ingredient became prohibited.
Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996.
UV filters
UV filters should also be assessed individually. Evidence or restrictions concerning one filter cannot establish the safety of all others.
For example, the EU limits homosalate to 7.34% in face products, excluding propellant sprays. This is a specific permitted use, not a general limit applying to every sunscreen format.
Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2195.
Australia’s TGA reviewed seven active sunscreen ingredients in 2025 and recommended additional controls for homosalate and oxybenzone. In September 2026 it also announced proposed safeguards for 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, or 4-MBC. Proposals and reviews should be distinguished from final restrictions.
Crucially, the TGA advises Australians to continue using sunscreen. Its advice is that sun-protection benefits outweigh the potential risks under review. Sunscreen should be used alongside shade, protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses.
Sources: TGA: Seven-ingredient safety review, September 2026 consultation announcement and TGA sunscreen advice.
What biomonitoring tells us
Biomonitoring measures substances or their metabolites in the body. It can establish exposure, but a detectable concentration does not by itself establish injury or disease. Exposure may come from several sources, making it difficult to assign a measured level to one product.
In the HERMOSA intervention study, 100 adolescent girls used replacement personal care products for three days. Urinary monoethyl phthalate fell by 27.4%; methylparaben and propylparaben fell by 43.9% and 45.4%. Triclosan and benzophenone-3 also declined. Two other phthalate metabolites did not change significantly, while ethylparaben and butylparaben unexpectedly increased from generally low levels.
The study shows that changing products can alter selected exposure markers quickly. It did not demonstrate that those changes prevented disease or improved participants’ health.
Source: HERMOSA intervention study, Harley and colleagues, 2016.
Hair products and cancer: associations need careful interpretation
The NIH Sister Study reported an association between permanent hair-dye use and breast cancer. Overall, use in the year before enrolment was associated with a 9% higher relative risk. Among Black women reporting use every five to eight weeks or more, the associated relative increase was 60%.
These are relative comparisons between study groups, not increases of nine or 60 percentage points in an individual’s probability of cancer. They also do not establish which chemical, if any, caused the association. The Sister Study enrolled women with a sister who had breast cancer, which matters when considering how directly results apply to other populations.
Sources: NIH study announcement and original breast-cancer study.
Research has also examined chemical straighteners and uterine cancer. NIEHS reports an association in a Sister Study analysis involving more than 33,000 women. A separate Black Women’s Health Study analysis reported an association with long-term relaxer use among postmenopausal women.
Results are not uniform. A 2025 systematic review concluded that the epidemiological evidence did not support hair relaxers as a risk factor for breast and gynaecological cancers among US Black women. That conclusion should be attributed to the review, rather than presented as settled proof of no risk. NIEHS likewise stresses that its observational research does not demonstrate that particular hair products cause cancer.
Sources: NIEHS: Cosmetics and Your Health, Boston University study summary and 2025 systematic review.
PFAS: substantial safety-data gaps
PFAS are a large, diverse group of fluorinated substances. Some are used in cosmetics for water resistance, durability or texture. They should not all be assumed to share identical absorption, toxicity or endocrine effects.
On 29 December 2025, FDA published its assessment of PFAS in cosmetics. Mandatory product listings identified 51 intentionally added PFAS in 1,744 formulations, representing approximately 0.41% of products listed as of August 2024. These figures concern declared intentional ingredients, not all possible contamination or all products sold worldwide.
FDA assessed the 25 most frequently used PFAS. Five appeared to present low safety concern under their intended conditions of use; one presented a potential safety concern with substantial uncertainty. For the remaining 19, available evidence was insufficient to establish safety. Data gaps included use levels, absorption and toxicity information. Insufficient evidence is neither proof of safety nor proof that every use causes harm.
Source: FDA assessment announcement.
The report recorded 11 US states with laws prohibiting intentionally added PFAS in cosmetics, with implementation dates between 2025 and 2028. Its state-law count was current to May 2025 and should not be treated as a fresh October 2026 inventory.
Source: FDA report on PFAS use and associated risks.
What changed in the EU in 2026?
Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/909 amends several annexes of the EU Cosmetics Regulation. It combines prohibitions, revised restrictions and permissions under specified conditions. It is inaccurate to describe every change as a new restriction on an established endocrine disruptor.
The measure adds triphenyl phosphate to the prohibited list and introduces or revises conditions concerning ingredients including benzyl salicylate and DHHB. It also permits certain hair-dye and preservative uses under conditions.
Published on 28 April 2026, it entered into force on 18 May 2026. Several provisions distinguish a 1 January 2027 deadline for placing non-compliant products on the market from later deadlines for making existing stock available. The annex includes July and August 2028 deadlines for specified entries. The relevant substance and product category must be checked before stating a compliance date.
Source: Official text: Regulation (EU) 2026/909.
Why uncertainty remains
People encounter mixtures through personal care products and other sources. Studies must account for changing formulations, differences in product use, short-lived exposure markers and the long interval between exposure and some health outcomes. Associations can also be influenced by factors unrelated to the ingredient being studied.
Laboratory studies help identify mechanisms; observational studies investigate patterns in people; exposure assessments estimate real-world contact. A useful safety judgement brings these together rather than treating any one type of evidence as conclusive.
Practical choices
- Keep using effective sun protection. Ingredient reviews are not a reason to abandon sunscreen.
- If reducing selected exposures is your goal, consider simplifying non-essential product use. A lower biomarker level does not guarantee a health benefit.
- Read ingredient lists and directions. Fragrance-free products can make avoiding fragrance mixtures easier, but that claim does not certify overall safety.
- Treat “natural”, “clean” and “free-from” claims as descriptions to examine, not comprehensive safety assessments.
- Follow product-specific regulatory advice. EU, US and Australian requirements differ.
- During pregnancy, or if you have a medical condition or a concern about frequent occupational exposure, ask a qualified health professional about the particular products involved.
Some cosmetic ingredients warrant continued investigation and, where supported by evidence, tighter controls. The useful question is which substance, at what exposure, in which product and for whom. Current findings support neither a blanket declaration that cosmetics are dangerous nor an assurance that every ingredient and use is free of risk.
This article provides general information, not individual medical advice. Regulatory information was checked on 16 October 2026; consult the linked authorities for later changes.
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