A report called "Not Too Pretty," released by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and its colleagues, presents data on phthalate content in various cosmetics. The report presumably is meant to be a scare tactic. But assuming the information is accurate, the report actually showcases how small the amounts of phthalates are in these products - and from this it can be shown that phthalate exposures from these products would also be very low. Rather than scaring women, this report should reassure women that they can continue to confidently use beauty products containing phthalates.

For example, using the HCWH data, 50,000 parts per million of a phthalate in nail polish may sound like a lot. It's five percent. Yet if a woman used and absorbed all of the dibutyl phthalate from five - 5 - full bottles of nail polish every day, her exposure would still be about equal to a level that produced no effects in laboratory animals.

For another example, the maximum concentration of diethyl phthalate in the perfumes sampled by HCWH is 2.8%. A woman would have to somehow spritz herself with more than 2 quarts of perfume daily, and absorb all the diethyl phthalate in that perfume, to exceed the amount that produced no effects in laboratory animals.

There is a strong body of scientific evidence that supports the position that phthalates can be used safely in a wide array of consumer products, including cosmetics. In their long history of use in consumer products, there never has been any reliable evidence that the phthalates found in nail polish, other cosmetics, or other personal care products have ever caused anyone any harm.

Much of the "information" presented on the Not Too Pretty website is misleading and therefore may unnecessarily cause women using cosmetics to be concerned about exposures to phthalates. But what the sampling data does show is that the levels of phthalates in the sampled beauty products is very low - providing reassurance that phthalate exposures from these products is likewise very low. So these groups may have done us all a service - by putting this issue to rest once and for all.

Contact:
Marian K. Stanley
Manager, Phthalate Esters Panel (www.phthalates.org)
(703) 741-5623
E-mail: marian_stanley@americanchemistry.com