Taking Short Breaks in Using PersonalCare Products Helps to Significantly
Decrease Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals
study led by researchers at UC Berkeley and
Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas shows
that levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals
in the body significantly dropped when a
short break is taken from using certain kinds
of makeup, shampoos and body-care products.
There were 100 Latina teenagers who participated in the
Health and Environmental Research on Makeup of Salinas
Adolescents (HERMOSA) study. Teen study participants were
provided personal-care products labeled free of chemicals, such
as phthalates, parabens, triclosan and oxybenzone. These
chemicals are widely used in personal-care products and have
been shown in animal studies to interfere with the body’s
endocrine system.
Urine samples were collected and analyzed before and after
A
the three-day trial. The results were promising:
Metabolites of diethyl phthalate, commonly used in
fragrances, decreased 27 percent by the end of the trial period.
l Methyl and propyl parabens, used as preservatives in
cosmetics, dropped 44 and 45 percent respectively.
l Triclosan, found in antibacterial soaps and some brands of
toothpaste, and benzophenone-3 (BP-3), found in some
sunscreens under the name oxybenzone, fell 36 percent.
How are you educating your guests, especially the next
generation of spa-goers, about the dangers of certain ingredients commonly found in their beauty products? As primary
consumers of personal-care products, women are more likely to
be exposed to these hormone-disrupting chemicals. Teen girls,
in particular, are at higher risk because they are still going
through rapid reproductive and physical development. n
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August 2016
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