Endocrine disrupting chemicals – BEUC/ICRT analysis of 66 everyday cosmetic and personal care products

BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation and ICRT, International Consumer Research and Testing, joined forces in 2012 with several of our joint members to check endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetic products.

After having screened the ingredient labels on cosmetic products in shops, we selected 66 products which indicated one or several substances which are known or suspected endocrine disrupters such as preservatives, emulsifiers, UV-filters or antibacterial agents.

The 66 product have been sent to an independent laboratory for a quantitative analysis.

Based on the test results, we established different user scenarios and worked together with several scientists which are experts in the field of endocrinology to find out how much of possibly hazardous chemicals could end up in our bodies if we apply many different cosmetic products to our skin in one day.

This paper summarises the main findings of our project.

While no product exceeded current legally binding limit values for cosmetic products, a hypothetical risk for consumers could exist when the combined exposure to many different cosmetic products is taken into account.