Lavender Products Associated With Premature Thelarche and Prepubertal Gynecomastia: Case Reports and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical Activities.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case series (n=4) paired with in vitro mechanistic assays
PubMed 31393563 · doi:10.1210/jc.2018-01880
What was done
Pediatric endocrinology evaluations were conducted for patients presenting with premature thelarche or prepubertal gynecomastia and continuous exposure to lavender-fragranced products. Additionally, mechanistic in vitro assays in human cell lines evaluated estrogen and androgen receptor gene expression activity for eight components of lavender and other essential oils.
What was found
Three prepubertal girls with premature thelarche and one boy with prepubertal gynecomastia were evaluated. Breast growth resolved in all four patients following discontinuation of the fragranced products. In vitro testing showed that several tested essential oil components had varying degrees of estrogenic and antiandrogenic properties. The abstract provides no specific quantitative values or potencies for receptor activity.
Why it matters
This paper reports a potential association between lavender-containing fragrances and premature thelarche in young girls, supported by in vitro evidence of endocrine-disrupting activity.
Limits
The human evidence is restricted to an uncontrolled case series of four patients, preventing causal confirmation or risk estimation. Exposure levels and absorption were not quantified, confounding exposures cannot be ruled out, and whether in vitro receptor potency is sufficient to cause in vivo endocrine disruption in humans remains unknown.
Cited by
- supports Lavender oil and tea tree oil possess endocrine-disrupting and hormone-modulating properties.