What even are phthalates?

Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid, commonly referred to as plasticizers. They’re used to increase the durability and flexibility of plastics. They’re also found in a myriad of products the average person comes into contact with on a daily basis, such as wallpapers, vinyl flooring, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, plastic coated clothing, detergent, dish soap, shampoo, hairspray, makeup, and toys. The Swedish Chemical Agency also notes that “Plasticisers are not permanently bound to the PVC polymer, and phthalates are therefore released from plastic products throughout their lifetimes. This diffuse dispersal means that phthalates are encountered almost everywhere in the environment.”

This is a scary thought, especially for parents with young kids who love pop every last plastic bucket and dinosaur into their little mouth. Thankfully in 2018 the FDA revised the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and now bans eight different phthalates in children’s toys in the U.S for reasons which we’ll get into in a second.

However, the FDA is not concerned about the use of phthalates in cosmetics, and cites studies indicating that a single maximum dose of a single phthalate does not pose any harm to human health. “In 2002, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reaffirmed its original conclusion (reached in 1985), finding that DBP, DMP, and DEP were safe as used in cosmetic products.” The FDA also states that DEP is the only phthalate still commonly used in cosmetics, although the fragrance clause, which permits cosmetics companies to exclude their proprietary ingredients from the label and use ’fragrance’ as a catch all term instead, means it’s impossible to fully investigate which phthalates are being used. What’s dubious is that the Cosmetic Ingredient Review is sponsored by the cosmetic industry. How can you be unbiased when your studies are sponsored by the manufacturers of the products you’re studying? 

What is instantly evident to any astute individual in the FDA supported results, is that the results aren’t relatable to real life. People don’t just use one product per day, they use lots of them. In fact, the Environmental Working Group, along with several other public interest and environmental health organizations, conducted a study which found that “the average adult uses 9 personal care products each day, with 126 unique chemical ingredients. More than a quarter of all women and one of every 100 men use at least 15 products daily.”

Let’s think about this- is it likely that the cosmetics industry, operating under hardly any safety regulation to speak of, is going to ensure that all of those average 126 chemicals are 100% clean and safe for daily use? Is it likely that instead of focusing on raising quarterly profits, and finding the most cost effective way of producing cosmetics, a large publicly traded corporation would instead concern themselves with expensive lab tests, studies, and continued quality control of their ingredients?

While the FDA is hitting the snooze button on this issue, other regulatory agencies in the world have taken the risk of these chemicals seriously. Four phthalates —butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIB) were banned from consumer products in the EU in 2018. A six year long study of nearly 450 pregnant women and their children conducted by several universities in the U.S, with an EPA grant, concluded that “Higher levels of prenatal exposure to several phthalates are associated with alterations in genital markers that are consistent with the phthalate syndrome, previously identified in rodents.”  

The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) phthalate restriction proposal did not spare any details in describing the serious harm observed in rats as a consequence of the aforementioned “phthalate syndrome”. “It is well understood that the cause for the phthalate syndrome is suppression of foetal androgen action. The four phthalates inhibit foetal testosterone production, reduce male anogenital distance, decrease gene expression related to steroid biosynthesis, increase permanent nipple retention in male offspring, increase incidence of genital malformations (hypospadias and cryptorchidism), delay puberty onset, reduce semen quality and cause testicular changes including decreased testes…”  In essence, “suppression of foetal androgen action’” means hormone disruption. Whenever hormones are disrupted, reproductive issues follow. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP) have also been linked to allergic diseases in developing children, including asthma and eczema based on five studies conducted in Asia, Europe and the U.S. This explains why phthalates are banned from children’s toys, but it doesn’t make sense that these chemicals are clearly known to be harmful to health, but they have only been restricted from a tiny portion of the items they are found in.

Thus concludes this crash course on understanding why so many brands are now, thankfully, rejecting these endocrine disruptors in their products, and touting “No phthalates!” on their packaging.