Is Your Long Lasting Makeup Toxic? Study Raises Concerns About PFAS in Cosmetics

By Melinda Fulmer | The Washington Post | August 11, 2021

Read the full article by Melinda Fulmer (The Washington Post)

"When toxicologist Linda Birnbaum’s daughter was visiting recently, she asked to stop at a store to buy eye makeup. But when the salesperson began touting the benefits of a certain waterproof mascara, Birnbaum advised her daughter to steer clear.

Why? Researchers recently found that waterproof, sweatproof and long-wearing cosmetics — so popular at this time of year — contain higher levels of a potentially toxic class of thousands of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or (PFAS). The study was led by scientists at the University of Notre Dame and published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

PFAS aren’t used only in cosmetics; they can be found in products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, carpet, and fast-food containers. “You are not just exposed in one place or one source, they are everywhere,” said Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

What’s more, these chemicals don’t naturally degrade and are known to accumulate in the body as well as in our soil and water, making them a potential risk to consumer health and the environment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked the chemicals to serious kidney, liver, immunological, developmental and reproductive issues. And, recently, it said that there is evidence that PFAS affect the antibody response to vaccines such as those for covid-19."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.