Exposure to phthalates from personal care products: Urinary levels and predictors of exposure.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review of observational biomonitoring studies
PubMed 35358548 · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.113194
What was done
Reviewed published literature assessing urinary concentrations of phthalates and phthalate metabolites to evaluate determinants of exposure from personal care product (PCP) use across infants, toddlers, children, and adults.
What was found
Reported ranges of creatinine-adjusted urinary concentrations across studies were: MEP (1.5–14,956.1 μg/g), MEHP (0.4–94.5 μg/g), MEHHP (0.39–425.9 μg/g), MEOHP (0.5–481.3 μg/g), MBzP (0.1–755.1 μg/g), and MiBP (0.3–401.4 μg/g). Key predictors of higher urinary phthalates included sampling within 48 hours of PCP use, use of multiple products (especially leave-on versus rinse-off), younger age (children compared to mothers), and race/ethnicity (Mexican-American and Black women compared to White women). The strongest association was observed between MEP and fragranced items such as perfumes, shampoos, body lotions, and hair products.
Why it matters
Highlights the specific consumer product classes and demographic groups most vulnerable to elevated internal phthalate doses, pointing to fragrance-containing leave-on cosmetics as primary exposure drivers.
Limits
The abstract does not state the number of included studies, sample sizes, search criteria, or whether systematic review guidelines were followed. Findings rely on observational biomonitoring prone to unmeasured co-exposures, and specific brand formulations or product ingredients were not standardized across studies.
Cited by
- supports Phthalates are added to cosmetics and pesticides to increase barrier absorption and are used in fragranced products to retain scent and color.