5 Ingredients to Watch Out For in Beauty and Personal Care Products

Can be found in: Many personal care products, especially those with added fragrance, including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, deodorant, perfume, makeup, and nail polish. 

May be labeled as: DEP, DBP, DEHP, DIDP, DINP, fragrance, parfum, perfume, aroma. 

Quick tip: Choose products labeled “fragrance-free.”

Can be found in: Products with high water content, such as shampoo, conditioner, moisturizers, shaving gel, and toothpaste. 

May be labeled as: Methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, or other ingredients ending in “-paraben.” 

Quick tip: Avoid products with ingredients ending in “-paraben.”

Like phthalates, parabens have been added to consumer products—food, medicine, and beauty and personal care items—for decades. Their job is to act as preservatives to prevent mold and bacteria growth and, more generally, to extend a product’s shelf life. Parabens are ubiquitous: In studies, evidence of these chemicals has shown up in the urine of nearly every participant. 

And, also similar to phthalates, the biggest concern with parabens is that they act as endocrine disruptors. More specifically, parabens affect hormone balance with their ability to weakly mimic estrogen, which can harm the reproductive system.

Again, women of color are especially vulnerable to these impacts. Parabens are commonly added to hair products, like oils and chemical relaxers, that are explicitly marketed to Black women. In a recent study, researchers found higher concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including parabens, in Black women who used those products. 

Unlike phthalates, however, parabens are generally listed as ingredients on product labels, making it easier for consumers to avoid them. Experts have demonstrated that once exposure levels decrease, so do levels in the body.

Reading products’ ingredient labels is an effective way to reduce your exposure to parabens, according to a 2020 study led by Dodson. “To me, that’s an easy solution,” she says.

Can be found in: Shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, makeup, hair-straightening products, hair gel, nail polish and nail glue, eyelash glue.

May be labeled as: DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quarternium-15, formaldehyde.

Quick tip: Look for “formaldehyde-free” labels, especially on body lotions, or safer preservative options like citric acid, sorbic acid, or potassium sorbate.

Formaldehyde is perhaps best known as the main ingredient in embalming fluid, though it’s also found at trace levels as a natural byproduct in many fruits and vegetables. The preservative is not usually directly added to personal care products—though it can be—but other preservatives that release small amounts of formaldehyde over time are commonly used to help extend shelf life. 

“They are put there with the intention of formaldehyde then being in the product,” Dodson says. But since the preservatives have confusing names like “DMDM hydantoin” and “methenamine,” consumers trying to avoid formaldehyde may find it difficult to do so.

Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute have identified at least 30 chemicals that can release formaldehyde. Whatever the name and concentration, formaldehyde—which the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program have both named a known human carcinogen—is still toxic. “Formaldehyde is formaldehyde,” Dodson says. And exposure to the chemical can also cause skin irritation. 

In May of last year, Dodson and her team published a study, also part of the larger Taking Stock study, showing that a wide range of personal care products contain formaldehyde releasers.

And of the 64 Black and Latina women who participated, more than half reported using at least one such product—often daily or several times a day. 

Like other toxic chemicals, formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are commonly found in products marketed to Black women, such as hair straighteners. In 2019, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that women, both Black and white, who had a family history of breast cancer and used hair straighteners (which often contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives) had a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who avoid them. And a 2023 study linked long-term hair relaxer use with increased uterine cancer risk among postmenopausal Black women. 

The FDA proposed a ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives in hair straighteners in 2023, but has yet to enact it. In the European Union, formaldehyde is prohibited in all personal care products, and any products that use formaldehyde-releasing preservatives must carry a warning label (if the product exceeds 10 parts per million, or ppm). 

Can be found in: Products with claims of being waterproof, smudge-proof, or long-lasting, such as makeup (mascara, foundation, lipstick) and hair products (styling sprays and serums).

May be labeled as: PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon), some ingredients with “fluoro” in the name. 

Quick tip: Steer clear of products that come with “waterproof” or “long-lasting” claims.

Many everyday consumer products contain PFAS, a class of chemicals used to make things waterproof, nonstick, or stain-resistant. CR tests and other research have found PFAS in cookware, food packaging, drinking water, milk, clothing, dental floss, and more. These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—thousands of them—are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are nearly impossible to destroy and persist in our bodies and the environment.

Researchers have linked exposure to certain PFAS chemicals, sometimes even at low levels, to a range of potential health concerns, including an increased risk of thyroid disease, testicular cancer, liver damage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, immunotoxicity (including in children), and lower birth weight. 

A December 2025 FDA report, carried out as part of a MoCRA requirement, found 51 different PFAS intentionally added to 1,744 cosmetics (PDF). The ingredients were most commonly found in eye shadows and other makeup, and the agency reported finding PTFE in more than 28 percent of the items. A 2021 study from the University of Notre Dame also found evidence of PFAS in cosmetics, with especially high levels in foundations, mascaras, and lip products. 

Asian American women, two-thirds of whom have six or more steps in their beauty routines, may be more susceptible to PFAS exposure, according to a Mintel market report. A 2023 study found Asian Americans have higher cumulative exposure to forever chemicals. 

“PFAS is not likely listed on the ingredient list,” Dodson says. “Trying to avoid products that are listed as ‘waterproof’ or ‘long-lasting’ may help avoid PFAS.”

Can be found in: Permanent hair dyes, color cosmetics (such as lipsticks and eye shadows), nail polish.

May be labeled as: P-phenylenediamine (PPD), CI (Color Index) followed by a five-digit number, FD&C or D&C followed by a color name, dyes with “lake” in the name.

Quick tip: Choose “PPD-free” products.

Coal tar dyes—also called petroleum-based dyes—have been around since the mid-1800s, when a British chemist accidentally created the first synthetic color from the thick, brown-black liquid that’s produced from coal burning. By 1900, synthetic dyes were being added to many foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Coal tar dyes are mainly derived from petroleum nowadays, but they have retained their original name.

Today, synthetic dyes still give colorful cosmetics like lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish their vibrant hues. Unlike other ingredients in personal care products, the FDA must approve these color additives for use. But even with the agency’s signoff, they may still pose health risks. For instance, many of these dyes are made up of dozens of chemicals, including petroleum byproducts like benzene, according to the ToxicFree Foundation. Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans.

And there is one major exception when it comes to the federal regulation of color additives: coal tar hair dyes, which do not require FDA approval as long as the product includes a special cautionary statement and directions for a preliminary skin test. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, P-phenylenediamine, or PPD, is a coal tar dye found in many permanent hair dyes that helps the hair trap and retain color. The darker the dye, the more PPD the product tends to have. 

Exposure to PPD, a chemical also used in the manufacturing of rubber and Kevlar as well as in the photo developing process, can pose a range of health risks to consumers. Research shows that PPD can cause allergic contact dermatitis and, as a small 2020 study found, can also damage the skin barrier. 

While studies have linked the chemical to DNA damage and cancer in mice, the International Agency for Research on Cancer did not classify hair colorants as carcinogenic to humans during a 2010 review: There simply wasn’t enough evidence to make that determination at that time, and IARC has not re-reviewed such chemicals since. More recently, the same 2019 study that found increased breast cancer risks among women who used hair straighteners also found a higher risk of breast cancer in women who used permanent hair dyes (which may contain higher concentrations of PPD) compared with those who used temporary or semi-permanent dyes.

Intentionally added ingredients aren’t all that consumers need to be aware of, unfortunately. Some personal care products have the potential to be contaminated with harmful substances like lead, benzene, mercury, and asbestos. And unlike FDA-permitted ingredients like parabens, these substances don’t appear on the label. That’s because they’re often the result of contamination somewhere along the supply chain. 

A February 2025 Consumer Reports investigation into synthetic braiding hair found that all the tested products contained carcinogens and that three products contained benzene. All but one also contained high levels of lead, a potent neurotoxin. And a recent study of 56 kohl eyeliners revealed more than half contained worrying levels of lead.

The FDA has called attention to the dangerously high mercury levels it found in skin-lightening and anti-aging creams it tested a few years ago. The agency permits cosmetics to contain trace amounts of the toxic heavy metal: less than 1 ppm, and up to 65 ppm for eye area products. But the mercury content of several of the creams it tested was north of 10,000 ppm. 

More recently, in October 2025, New York’s attorney general ordered three companies to stop selling skin-lightening creams after its investigation found products with mercury concentrations up to 30,000 ppm. The state’s 2022 law banning the sale of personal care products that contain mercury, except in the trace amounts permitted by the FDA, allows it to take action even in the absence of federal enforcement.

Lead, meanwhile, can potentially contaminate lipstick and other color cosmetics. After a 2007 study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found detectable levels of lead in more than a dozen name-brand lipsticks, the FDA followed with its own testing and found an average of more than 1 ppm of lead in 20 of the same major brands. (The agency has determined that up to 10 ppm of lead in these products does not pose a health risk.) 

Talc, an ingredient often used in powders, blushes, and eye shadows, is found in the earth close to asbestos—a known carcinogen—creating the potential for contamination. The FDA has carried out its own talc testing over the years, but at the end of 2025, the agency withdrew a proposed rule that would have required manufacturers of talc products to test for traces of asbestos. 

While it’s impossible to know for certain which products contain unwanted contaminants without physically testing them, you can keep yourself safer by following some important guidelines. To help protect yourself, be sure to stay up to date on CR’s product testing results, minimize your exposure to items most susceptible to contamination, and pay attention to consumer alerts or recalls issued by state or federal governments and by cosmetics companies themselves. 

Finally, be mindful of where you purchase your products: It’s safest to buy directly from brands or well-established retailers you know and trust. Be wary of unknown third-party sellers and marketplaces that may be more likely to offer items that are counterfeit or contaminated. Industry group Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) encourages consumers to go to its Buy No Lie website for tips on how to minimize the risk of purchasing counterfeit items and to report any adverse reactions to products to the FDA.

Shop carefully. Opting for products that are labeled as being free of the potentially harmful ingredients detailed above can be a good place to start. Major retailers like Target and Sephora also have “clean” labeling systems that help shoppers find personal care products that are formulated without many of the most concerning ingredients. And some other stores, like Whole Foods, have committed to selling only products that avoid more than 240 beauty and body care ingredients, including phthalates and parabens. 

Use an app. If you want to dig deeper into specific products, you don’t have to go it alone—there’s an app for that. Many, in fact. The Clearya app and its web browser extension, for instance, will scan uploaded product label photos, flag harmful ingredients, and recommend safer alternatives. Other trusted digital tools and databases include Silent Spring Institute’s Detox Me (available in both English and Spanish), Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website, SkinSafe (created in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and whose data CR currently licenses), and the popular label-scanning app Yuka (with whom CR is currently partnering on a food project). 

In the absence of robust federal laws regulating the cosmetics industry, many states have begun stepping up to protect consumers. California has led the way, passing a number of laws in recent years aimed at increasing ingredient transparency. California laws have also banned dozens of chemicals from cosmetics products sold in the state, including PFAS, mercury, and certain phthalates and parabens. 

Other states, like Vermont, Maryland, and Oregon, have passed their own laws that prohibit the most toxic chemicals in personal care products—and New York has been trying to do the same with its Beauty Justice Act, which passed through the state Senate last year but failed to make it through the Assembly. Advocates for the bill (including those from Consumer Reports) plan to give it another push before the current legislative session ends in June 2026. 

“Although it’s not ideal because it creates a patchwork of regulations across states, we’re hoping that New York’s bill, being the strongest yet, will help create a template for other states to use,” says CR’s Alexandra Grose.

Dodson believes Washington state’s broad-reaching ban on formaldehyde and 25 formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in cosmetics , which passed last August and will go into effect in 2027, could also serve as a model for other states. It builds on the state’s Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, in effect since January 2025, which restricts the use of formaldehyde and other intentionally added toxic chemicals in cosmetics. 

“If enough states, especially those with bigger economies, move forward, it can actually really benefit consumers,” Dodson says. “At the federal level, I’m not really sure that’s where the action is.”

A spokesperson from the Personal Care Products Council, an industry group, told CR that it finds that differing state laws can create confusion among consumers and pose compliance challenges for manufacturers. “Safety and transparency are global priorities, and these policies should not vary by location.”

Last July, federal lawmakers, supported by advocates including CR, put forth the Safer Beauty Bill Package. These four bills would ban the most toxic chemicals in personal care products nationwide, increase transparency, and protect communities of color and vulnerable workers from disproportionate exposure. More than 150 organizations and cosmetics companies have endorsed the package, and the four bills are pending committee approval in Congress—though they are not expected to pass in the near future. (The PCPC characterized the bills as “well-intentioned” but “premature.”) 

“There are things that consumers can do, but they can’t do it all by themselves,” Dodson says. “And this is a prime example where I think regulations on these chemicals—so we don’t have to remember them when we go to the store—can be super-effective.”