Pretty Poisoned: The Truth Behind Cosmetics Marketed to Young Women
Sep 5
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I once had a patient ask after her miscarriage if I thought it was due to the type of soap she used.
At the time, I knew nothing about these exposures. I was trained to tell miscarriage patients that most are due to chromosomal errors and the rest we don't know the cause.
Even if I had known, I still wouldn't have been able to say that was the cause. But now that I know more, it’s not far-fetched to think that toxins around us and in our bodies affect our hormones and reproduction.
My Why
They say having kids changes everything.
In my case, this was for the better.
Having a daughter particularly changed me as a mother as I consider how she will view my womanhood and later her own. I wonder how she will consider herself, learn and honor her body, and make decisions.
In my practice of obstetrics and gynecology, I see things on a deeper level than just what medical literature and studies show.
Many times what I see is reflected in the literature.
Other times, what I see seems to come before the literature catches up.
As a fully trained, licensed, and board-certified obgyn, I never learned about any chemical exposures and how they may affect women's health.
Never.
Yet I see a population of women that is frankly very unhealthy: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I see:
Pregnancy losses
Infertility
Metabolic disorders at very young ages
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Early menopause
Cancers in young women
While direct causes have not been established, strong correlations and in vitro experiments have confirmed the endocrine-disrupting nature of these chemicals.
Just as we were sold convenience of packaged food, plastic containers and food from outside the home, we were also sold self-care and cosmetic products that directly counteract our natural hormones.
My Changes
I changed my own environment not just for my own health but for the health of my children. It is my hope that my daughter will view herself as beautiful, made by God, and not fall prey to the evils being pushed to her.
Maybe I made these changes in my own habits and lifestyle too late, only time will tell. My hope is that I changed earlier enough in my kids' lives that they will be exposed to less than I ever was and will grow up with the knowledge that I didn’t have earlier.
The chemicalization of our environment has been the largest uninformed experiment, and we are the test subjects. We didn't give explicit consent but we gave implied consent when we agreed to pursue convenience at the expense of our own bodies.
The saddest part is these products are marketed not only to adults but very intentionally toward our young women. Marketing is preying upon the insecurities of adolescence and comparison culture of social media.
Marketing To Our Young Women
The teen and tween skincare market will reach over $200 Billion by 2030.
In a 2024 survey of Gen Alpha parents (kids ages 6-11), hair care, skincare, cosmetics, and perfume purchases all increased compared to the prior generation.
e.l.f. cosmetics, branded as affordable, has seen a stock price increase of 203%, likely owing to marketing efforts "geared toward that tween demographic.”
Wanting to start even younger, some companies target toddler and child skincare and cosmetics. Gryt is the name of one, with products for use as young as eight years old.
It’s not coincidence that this age group is also the biggest consumer of social media. As Jonathan Haidt points out in The Anxious Generation, marketing efforts could target girls who deleted selfies. If the selfie was deleted, presumably because she didn’t like the way she looked, products could then target her insecurity.
At a naturally vulnerable age for insecurities, this age group is prime for “the perfect storm" for driving sales even before social media enters the picture.
They consume social media but in reality, it's consuming them.
What's The Harm?
Isn’t playing dress-up with makeup just a part of coming-of-age for a girl? Besides the dollars, what’s the harm in that?
Well, we’ll start with the mental aspect and move on to the physical from there.
The idealized images of social media have a negative impact on mental health, particularly for females. If you have children and have not read The Anxious Generation, get yourself a copy and read it. There has been a rise of perfectionism-fueled anxiety as young women strive to achieve and maintain what is seen on social media “flawless" skin posts.
Peer pressure now exists in the virtual world, fueling insecurities, body image concerns, and sales of products.
Physically, let's break down what can exist in many products.
Parabens
These are substances used in cosmetics, deodorants, sunscreens and body lotions as antimicrobials. Antimicrobial means something that inhibits the growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi (things that are living).
Women have twice as much exposure as men according to urinary analyses with cosmetics being a major source of exposure.
These have been shown to proliferate breast tumors in in vitro studies with continued research about cancer. There is also a potential link to male infertility.
Tip: when reading a label, avoid with ingredients that end in “-paraben”.
Phthalates
This category of chemicals can be found in cosmetics, self-care products like lotion, as well as food and drink contaminated by plastic packaging and contaminated air and water. They are used as plasticizers, lubricants or vehicles for fragrance in products.
In the body, they interfere with thyroid, androgen, and other steroid hormones.
In children, they have been associated with:
altered body composition (obesity, waist circumference)
neurodevelopment (ADHD, autism, impaired development and emotional concerns)
pulmonary function
immune function
In adults, they have been associated with male infertility and pregnancy loss. In vitro, they can proliferate colorectal cancer cells.
In a pregnant woman, they can cross the placenta and affect the fetus. They can cause oxidative stress (compromised ability of the cells to combat reactive oxygen species) and epigenetic changes in the placenta and fetus.
Tip: when reading a label, avoid ingredients like “fragrance”, “parfum”, or “-phthalate”.
Triclosan
Triclosan is used in cosmetics, self-care products like toothpaste and hand soaps, and household cleaners and detergents for its antimicrobial properties, to keep stop growth of bacteria. It can be considered a “preservative".
I’m likely exposed to most triclosan at my workplace, since it is widely used in medical settings.
In the EU in 2006, about 450 tons of triclosan were used, 85% of that was in self-care products. It has since been banned?
Why?
Epidemiological data find the following associations:
Decreased fertility
Increased miscarriage
Decreased BMI
Abnormal thyroid markers
Increased reactive oxygen species (cellular oxidative stress)
Asthma
Allergies
Newborn body size measurements
Animal studies have confirmed the endocrine disruption. In vitro experiments have shown increased inflammation and association with cancer.
Tip: Avoid triclosan if you see it listed on a label. It may be disguised as “antibacterial” or “germ-fighting”
BPA (Bisphenol A)
Found in plastics, can contaminate cosmetics (and food) in plastic packaging.
If we recall my earlier plastics in women’s health article (My “Barbie Girl” article), we see that there is also bisphenol S. This is a compound similar to BPA, with suspected similar effects in the human body, with much less awareness about it. Seems like we've seen this movie before.
Tip: definitely look for BPA-free if using any plastic material, better is to avoid other bisphenol compounds, best is to avoid plastic packaging.
“Forever Chemicals”
As opposed to phthalates that are quickly metabolized (though repeated exposure can accumulate), perfluorinated chemicals are referred to as “forever chemicals” due to taking longer to break down. We also accumulate these with repeated use.
Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) include:
PFOA - perfluorooctanoic acid
PFOS- perfluorooctane sulfate
These are found in anything from stain and dirt repellents to cosmetics and nail polish.
They have been detected in human breast milk, human umbilical cords
In vitro, they interfere with sex hormones, plus thyroid hormone function. There is suspected affect on fertility and birth weights of female infants.
These chemicals infiltrated our environments, becoming ubiquitous for our own pleasure and convenience, and now we are finding out the effects, some of which we still do not know.
What Can We Do For Our Daughters (and ourselves)?
Keep adolescents off social media.
Chemicals aren't the only toxins, the blue light is harmful in addition to the content discussed above.
Participate in the real world.
Connect to the religious world.
Remove environmental toxins as much as possible.
Teach her to honor her body (as a temple), her beauty, and decision-making capacity of what is in her environment.
Encourage mental and emotional resilience.
An article in Psychology Today states that many teens used skincare to cope with anxiety during the pandemic.
Instead of leaning on more products and more comparison, teach our young women healthy coping habits and prayer.
Reduce emphasis on self-care.
As women, we are inclined to serve others. While some view that as a burden, I see it as our gift.
This does not mean we never need a moment alone, self-preservation, or hygiene.
However, for adolescents to be sold the ritual of self-care, and thus the importance of self over anything else, is denying the natural inclination of women.
Encourage adolescents to think of others.
Rebuke the attempt at perfection.
This is an opportunity to remind young women of what is earthly and imperfect.
God is perfect, we are not.
No product will ever satisfy.
She was made purposefully
Resources:
Some of the information contained in this article is the result of my training, medical knowledge, and personal experience without a specific source to be cited.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. This is for educational purposes only. Discuss with your doctor.
The author may earn commissions on affiliate links.
https://researchci.com/teen-skincare-trends-and-the-stress-free-opportunity/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S089062381000078X
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP13937
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5322271/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11154-016-9329-4
