Alarming number of womens shampoos, lotions and body soap found to have this cancer-causing chemical

A new study has found that an alarming number of personal care products contain a known carcinogen.Formaldehyde has been linked to cancer — but the chemical, and preservatives that release it, are often added to personal care products to extend their shelf life.And new research found this chemical lurking in items like shampoo, lotions, body soap, and eyelash glue.In recent years, the conversation about formaldehyde exposure has largely focused on hair relaxers.Boston University researchers found that postmenopausal Black women who used relaxers most often had a greater than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer compared to those who never or seldom used them.This new study shows that the problem extends even further.“We found that this isn’t just about hair straighteners,” says lead author Dr.Robin Dodson, an exposure scientist at Silent Spring Institute.

“These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies.Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm.”The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, had Black and Latina women log their product use for about a week, sharing photos of the ingredient labels.The team team analyzed over 1,100 product ingredient lists looking for formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.Fifty-three percent of participants reported using at least one personal care product that listed formaldehyde releasers on its label.

What’s more troubling is that study participants applied many of these products daily or multiple times per week.Researchers found DMDM hydantoin to be the most common formaldehyde-releasing preservative, with roughly 47% of skincare products and 58% of hair products with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives containing DMDM hydantoin.However, as Dodson notes, this list is not definitive.“Those are just the ones we knew to look for.

There could be more that we’re not aware of,” she said.This research was part of the larger Ta...