Skip to main content

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ widespread and unlabeled in makeup, scientists find

By June 15, 2021PFAS in the news

Cosmetics distributed in the United States and Canada are rife with a class of chemicals that have been associated with a number of diseases, including cancer, and frequently aren’t labeled accurately, according to a new study.

Over the last three years, researchers tested 231 different cosmetics products in North America for fluorine, an indicator of polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. The study found fluorine in 56 percent of foundations and eye products, 48 percent of lip products and 47 percent of mascaras.

“We were shocked to see how much is in some of these products,” said Graham Peaslee, a professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame and the principal investigator on the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters. Read more…