How to Shop for Healthier Personal Care Products

Every day, people use soaps, lotions, hair care, and cosmetics to feel clean and confident. But many of these personal care products contain chemicals that can harm your health.

Often used as fragrances, preservatives, bacteria fighters, and UV blockers, many of these chemicals are known as “endocrine disruptors,” meaning they can interfere with the body’s hormone functions. Endocrine disruptors have been linked to obesity, diabetes, fertility problems, and some cancers.  

Because people use these products every day, chemical exposure can add up over time. That’s especially true for women, who often use multiple products, such as hair spray, deodorant, makeup, and body lotions.

A new study of Black and Latina women explored whether they could reduce exposure to these chemicals just by choosing products more carefully. The results found a clear connection between shopping choices and chemical exposure. The good news: Avoiding certain ingredients—especially fragrances, parabens, and oxybenzone—can reduce personal exposure to harmful chemicals.

“It’s great to see data that support the advice that we and other researchers and advocates have shared with consumers: Even small, informed choices, like reading ingredient labels, can be impactful,” says Lariah Edwards, PhD, associate research scientist at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and co-first author of the study.

How do chemicals in personal care products affect health?

Although there are many chemicals of concern, avoiding a handful of them can help make personal care routines healthier over time. The recent study focused on 28 chemicals, including these common harmful ingredients:

Phthalates

• What they are: Chemicals used to make fragrances last longer, commonly found in perfume, hair spray, nail polish, and scented lotions. They’re often hidden under the label “fragrance.”
• Health effects: Linked to hormone disruption, fertility issues, and developmental concerns.

Parabens

• What they are: Preservatives used to prevent mold and bacteria, found in moisturizers, makeup, shampoos, and cleansers. 
• Health effects: Can interfere with hormones and are associated with reproductive health concerns and skin irritation.

Triclosan

• What it is: Antibacterial ingredient used in hygiene products, found in some soaps, toothpaste, deodorants, and acne products.
• Health effects: Can disrupt thyroid hormones and contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone)

• What it is: A chemical UV filter used in sunscreens, lip balms with SPF, moisturizers, and hair products.
• Health effects: Linked to hormone disruption, skin irritation, and reproductive issues.

Bisphenol A (BPA)

• What it is: Used in plastic packaging and some product containers; it can leach into lotions, cosmetics, and personal care items.
• Health effects: Known to disrupt hormones and linked to fertility issues, metabolic disorders, and developmental issues.

What happens when you avoid these chemicals?

The recent study examined urine samples from women for chemicals from personal care products. While nearly all participants had detectable levels of phthalates, parabens, oxybenzone, and chlorinated phenols in their urine, for some chemicals, the levels were lower in women who avoided them. Specific findings included: 

• Black women who chose “fragrance-free” products had less than half the levels of a common phthalate compared to those who didn’t avoid fragrance.
• Latina women who avoided oxybenzone had significantly lower levels of the chemical in their urine.
• Women who avoided parabens had about two times lower levels of methyl and propyl parabens (though this difference was not statistically significant).

How to choose healthier personal care products

There are several steps women can take when choosing products to reduce chemical exposures. Start small by reading labels and adopting these habits:

• Choose products labeled “fragrance-free” and “paraben-free”
• Simplify your routine. Fewer products mean fewer chemicals
• Use ingredient-safety databases like Clearya.  

“Clean beauty shouldn’t be a privilege—it should be the norm,” says Ami Zota, ScD, associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Mailman School and co-senior author of the study. “Everyone deserves safe products, no matter where they live or shop. The critical next step is ensuring that these products are available and accessible to everyone.”

The big picture

Researchers say this study highlights both the power and the limits of individual action. While avoiding certain ingredients can reduce personal exposure, the long-term solution lies in stronger federal safety standards, clearer labeling, and fair access to safe products for all communities.

“To fill a regulatory gap, Black women and Latinas have had to become chemistry experts just to shop safely,” says Dr. Edwards. “It’s encouraging that shopping choices can make a difference, but the burden shouldn’t fall on consumers.”

Dr. Zota adds that while shopping “clean” can help, it’s not enough. “We need clearer labeling rules—especially for fragrance, which can include dozens of undisclosed chemicals—and a legal definition of what ‘clean beauty’ actually means. Right now, it’s just a marketing term.”

In addition to adopting smart shopping habits, consumers can advocate for safer products by supporting transparency laws and policies that keep toxic chemicals out of personal care products.