Differences in personal care product use by race/ethnicity among women in California: implications for chemical exposures.

BACKGROUND: Personal care products may contain many chemicals, some of which are suspected endocrine disrupters. This is an important source of chemical exposure for women, but little is known about how chemical exposure differs among different races/ethnicities. OBJECTIVE: This study examines differences in personal care product use among Black, Latina, Vietnamese, Mixed Race, and White women in California. METHODS: We used a community-based participatory process to create and administer a personal care product usage survey to 321 Black, Latina, Vietnamese, Mixed Race, and White women. We used multivariate regression models with pairwise comparisons to examine the frequency of product use by race/ethnicity. RESULTS: We found distinct trends of personal care product use by race/ethnicity: Latina women typically used makeup most frequently; Black women used certain hair products or styles most frequently; and Vietnamese women were most likely to use facial cleansing products compared to other races/ethnicities. Latina and Vietnamese women were less likely to try to avoid certain ingredients in their products. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings can help estimate disparities in chemical exposure from personal care product use and complement future research on health inequities due to chemical exposures in the larger environmental and social context.

Chemicals of concern in personal care products used by women of color in three communities of California.

BACKGROUND: Personal care products (PCPs) may contain chemicals associated with adverse health effects. Prior studies found differences in product use by race/ethnicity and suggest some women are disproportionately exposed to chemicals of concern (CoCs). OBJECTIVE: We quantified chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive or developmental harm, or endocrine disruption in PCPs used by women of color. METHODS: We documented PCPs in stores frequented by Black, Latina, and Vietnamese women in their communities in California and CoCs on ingredient labels of 546 unique hair, skin, makeup, nail, deodorant/perfume, and intimate care products. Community partners chose 31 products for a combined targeted and suspect screen (National Institute of Standards and Technology mass spectral library search) two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) analysis to detect chemicals not on ingredient labels. RESULTS: We found that 65% of labels included CoCs, and 74% of labels had undisclosed ingredients listed as "fragrance." The most prevalent chemicals were parabens, cyclosiloxanes, and formaldehyde releasers. GCxGC-TOFMS found additional CoCs, including fragrances, solvents, preservatives, ultraviolet filters, and contaminants. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings contribute to awareness of potentially hazardous chemicals in PCPs, can help estimate disparities in chemical exposure, and complement research on health inequities due to chemical exposures from various contributors. IMPACT STATEMENT: This study is one of the first detailed assessments of chemicals of concern found in various types of PCPs used by several racial/ethnic groups. We found that over half of the 546 products selected by community partners as marketed to and/or used by them contained ingredients linked to cancer, reproductive or developmental harm, or endocrine disruption. Laboratory analysis identified additional chemicals in a subset of products, including unlabeled fragrance chemicals and contaminants. Elucidating exposures to chemicals in PCPs is important for risk assessment and health inequity research.