Many personal care products found in the United States utilize formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing products (FRPs) to prevent microbial growth and extend their shelf life. However, these chemicals have been banned in several countries and some U.S. states due to their connection to various health concerns, including cancer.
In a new study focused on Black and Latina women in Los Angeles, over half of participants reported using personal care products that contain FRPs.
The study participants logged their personal care product use via a smartphone app, which tracked the date and time each product was used; the product name and category; how the product was obtained; and each product’s ingredient list. In total, the participants used 1,143 unique products, with an average of 17 products used by each participant. Of these products, one item listed formaldehyde as an ingredient and 41 listed FRPs as an ingredient. Nearly half of these products are intended for daily use.
More than half (53 percent) of Black and Latina women participants used at least one FRP-containing product during the study period. One participant used three products with FRPs and seven participants used two. Furthermore, some participants used lotions and hand soaps with FRPs multiple times per day.
Based on these findings, the authors call on state and federal agencies to implement regulations that limit formaldehyde exposures, particularly in consideration of “diverse populations, who are often overburdened by and under-protected from environmental exposures in personal care products.”
The study was led by researchers at Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts, with co-authors from Columbia University, Black Women for Wellness, and Occidental College in Los Angeles.