The cosmetic industry is big business. In 2023, the European market was worth €96 billion, with the UK being the fourth-biggest consumer, spending €11 billion, after Italy, France and the leader, Germany.
More and more of us, both men and women, are routinely using cosmetics and the trend shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. But what are we actually putting on our hair and skin, and could it potentially cause us harm?
The ingredients used in cosmetics are tightly regulated in the European Union and many other areas. Only approved ingredients can be used and this list is regularly updated based on emerging scientific evidence.
The process for banning an ingredient from cosmetics in Europe is that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which is responsible for the regulation of chemicals, first files an intention to restrict notice.
This is followed by a call for evidence, in which any interested person or group submits data and evidence for the safety or otherwise of the chemical in question.
This evidence is then evaluated by the various scientific committees. Then a recommendation is made and, finally, a decision is agreed upon by the European Commission. The process can take several years.
When companies are warned when changes in regulations are coming, however, they’re able to voluntarily reduce and replace the substances that will be restricted in the future. This was seen, for example, with the plastic microbeads that used to be found in toothpaste and facial scrubs.
Companies began phasing them out even before the ban on microbeads came into full effect in 2018, as the industry knew that microbeads would soon be banned, so products containing them were rapidly removed from store shelves.
Plastic is still a major component of many cosmetics, however, especially leave-on ones, designed to remain on the skin for several hours. These products were not covered by the microbeads ban, but are now being phased out over the next seven years as part of the EU restriction on intentionally added microplastics.
There are a number of reasons that microplastics are considered to be potentially harmful to humans – the main one being their small size. We can breathe them in and eat or drink them. They also break down very slowly and can thus remain in our bodies for extended periods of time.
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In most cases, they were not designed to be ingested or inhaled, and so they typically contain additives such as flame retardants or plasticisers, which are toxic to humans.
The skin is a very effective barrier at keeping things out and so you might think that microplastics in cosmetics aren’t a major source of internalisation. There are still potential pathways of uptake for microplastics via hair follicles or damaged skin, however.
Are ‘forever chemicals’ in cosmetics?
Another group of chemicals that is receiving a lot of attention are so-called ‘forever chemicals’ – the family of more than 10,000 multiply fluorinated compounds made up of three or more carbon atoms, collectively called poly- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The extreme persistence of these synthetic chemicals in the environment means that even ones that were banned over a decade ago are still being detected in human breast milk and blood. Thirty-six PFASs (polymeric and non-polymeric) have been identified as being used in cosmetic products.
They’re intentionally added to some products for a number of reasons, for example, as a binder to keep powders together and as a skin conditioner to aid moisture retention.
PFASs aren’t a common ingredient in cosmetic products, however, at least not in the UK and EU, where ECHA’s cosmetic database indicates that across all categories of cosmetics products, PFAS-containing products make up less than 10 per cent of the products on the market.
In the UK, a 2020 survey by the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, which represents 85 per cent of the UK cosmetics market, found that only 1.5 per cent of member companies reported use of PFASs. Even then, only nine PFAS ingredients were reported as being used and they’re being phased out rapidly.
But there are potential routes for PFAS to get into products unintentionally, for example as a degradation product or an impurity that’s not referenced on the ingredients list. The vast number of different PFAS molecules makes generalisations about their human health effects challenging.
However, there are indications that long-chain substances such as PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) can cause reproductive and developmental issues, as well as liver and kidney immunological effects in laboratory animals. Furthermore, both chemicals have caused tumours in animal studies.
Another recent study using model skin also demonstrated for the first time that dermal exposure to PFASs can allow them to pass through the skin barrier and that dermal exposure could be a significant source of exposure to shorter-chain PFAS.
What is the future of cosmetic products?
Driven by the persistence of PFASs and their widespread use, in early 2024, ECHA announced its intention to restrict the production, use and placing on the market (including import) of at least 10,000 PFASs, including those used in cosmetics.
Based on the low amount of cosmetics that contain PFASs, and the fact that the cosmetics industry has been actively phasing out their use for the past five years, the restriction is not expected to cause much of a challenge for the industry.
Approximately 47 products from large companies and 197 products of smaller companies might need reformulation. In comparison, tens of thousands of product reformulations may be required in the case of the restriction of intentionally added microplastics.
So, should you be concerned? The regulatory process is working hard to respond to new information and to phase out the use of chemicals of concern in cosmetics.
Europe and the UK also have robust regulations on the labelling of products, and cosmetics and other products must list their ingredients in order of quantity, starting from the ones present in the highest amounts.
While the chemical names may be hard for most consumers to follow, the CoSMILE database provides clear information about specific ingredients that you can look up.
There’s also a range of smartphone apps that can scan ingredient lists and highlight any potential health hazards, including a lack of available data (which is classified as a hazard). Consumers can use these to better inform their purchases.
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