Behind the Beauty: Exploring the Controversies of Phthalates in Cosmetics

What are phthalates?

Phthalates are a class of chemicals primarily used as additives in almost all types of plastics and vinyl to improve their durability, flexibility, and transparency. In the cosmetics industry, phthalates are used as plasticizers, thickeners, and solvents to increase the softness and spreadability of cosmetics, making them easier to apply and use. Since phthalates are present in various substances such as food, cosmetics, and building materials, it can be said that we are surrounded by phthalates every day. These chemicals pose some health risks, but more research is needed to assess.

Do phthalates pose any health risks to humans?

In the cosmetics industry, phthalates are commonly used in products such as perfume, hairspray, and nail polish. Apart from this, they are also used in packaging materials to prevent products from sticking to containers or degrading over time. The most commonly used phthalates in cosmetics include dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP). Although more experimental data is needed to prove the impact of phthalates on human health, current research has shown that many phthalates can have harmful effects on children.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) routinely finds as many as thirteen phthalate metabolites in the urine of subjects six years and older. When phthalates are present in packaging materials, they are known to leach into the products they contain. To a lesser extent, exposure also occurs when breathing air that contains phthalate vapors or phthalate dust particles.

Currently, the use of phthalates has been restricted in the United States, although some are still allowed in limited amounts. In January 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) final rule took effect, banning children's toys and child care articles from containing more than 0.1% of the following five phthalate compounds:

• Diisononyl phthalate (DINP)
• Di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPENP)
• Di-n-hexyl phthalate (DHEXP)
• Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP)
• Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)

Additionally, the U.S. Congress has legislated to permanently ban the following three phthalates at levels greater than 0.1% individually in children's toys and child care articles:

• Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
• Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)

The European Union (EU) has much stricter standards for children's toys and child care articles than the United States, banning all phthalates up to 0.2% combined. (The U.S. allows up to 0.8% total phthalates.) Other countries, including Canada, Japan and Australia, have also taken regulatory action to restrict the use of certain phthalates in cosmetics. In addition to regulatory action, some cosmetics companies have voluntarily removed phthalates from their products or pledged to reduce their use, which has led to the development of phthalate-free alternatives such as the increasingly popular natural and organic cosmetics.

How is phthalate testing conducted?

The detection of phthalates in a variety of sample matrices can be performed using Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric detection (GC/MS). Performing this experiment required a high degree of sensitivity and expertise, as phthalate standards in the US and EU have been set at low percentage or part per million (ppm) levels. Many manufacturers have begun screening their products and packaging for phthalates because they know consumers are increasingly disliking the ingredient and fear losing customers.

As a professional cosmetic analyst and developer, Creative BioMart provides advanced equipment and instruments for comprehensive cosmetic testing. Our platform supports high-precision quantitative analysis and can achieve ppm-level sensitivity. Our customers include academic institutions, industrial corporations along and brands that require bioactive/bio-functional ingredients or improved manufacturing for personal care products.
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