Per- and polyfluoroalkyls used as cosmetic ingredients - Qualitative study of 765 cosmetic products.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) form a vast family comprising more than 4700 synthetic compounds. Their molecules contain a terminal functional group and a hydrophobic carbon tail (alkyl group) at which the hydrogen atoms are totally (in the case of perfluorinated compounds) or partially (in the case of polyfluorinated compounds) replaced by fluorine atoms. Due to the very specific properties of their structure, they have been used in a vast range of applications over the last 70 years. These substances are considered to be of concern for the environment. Their effects on human health are still poorly understood because studies are still too rare, but the cutaneous route could be a significant pathway of penetration. In this context, we made a qualitative study to assess the presence of PFAS in various cosmetics such as hygiene products, skin care products, make-up and perfumes. Among the 765 products studied, we found 11 different PFAS. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorodecalin, present in 25.9% and 22.2% of products containing it, respectively, were the most frequent. Although the presence of this type of ingredient seems to be limited in Europe, make-up appears to be the type of product most likely to contain PFAS.

Age-dependent perfume development in male orchid bees, Euglossa imperialis.

Male neotropical orchid bees concoct complex perfume blends by collecting exogenous volatiles from various sources, including orchids. These perfumes, stored in specialized hind-leg pouches and released during courtship, serve as inter-sexual signals. It has been hypothesized that male perfumes honestly indicate aspects of male fitness. If perfume traits such as quantity or complexity increase over individual lifetime, perfumes could reflect age (survival) and cumulative foraging success of males. We conducted a two-season mark-recapture study with Euglossa imperialis in Costa Rica, monitoring the balance of perfume uptake and expenditure over individual male lifetime. We sealed one hind-leg pouch upon initial capture, 'freezing' the perfume status on one side, and compared it with the other side at recapture to assess changes in perfume traits over time. Additionally, we used a novel method to estimate individual age by combining two parameters of wing degradation. Contrary to predictions, young to intermediate-aged bees had the highest quantities of perfume and the highest diversity of detected compounds. At the same time, the change in perfume between recaptures was positive (increase in amount and complexity) in young bees, whereas it was neutral to negative in older bees. Although these findings do not disprove an indicator function of male perfume, they shift the emphasis to non-cumulative fitness components such as sensory acuteness or cognitive capacity as likely targets of selection. Females preferring strong perfume signals in mates would maximize speed of foraging in offspring rather than their lifetime cumulative yield.

Mass-Spectrometry-Based Research of Cosmetic Ingredients.

Cosmetic products are chemical substances or mixtures used on the skin, hair, nails, teeth, and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, whose use is intended to clean, protect, correct body odor, perfume, keep in good condition, or change appearance. The analysis of cosmetic ingredients is often challenging because of their huge complexity and their adulteration. Among various analytical tools, mass spectrometry (MS) has been largely used for compound detection, ingredient screening, quality control, detection of product authenticity, and health risk evaluation. This work is focused on the MS applications in detecting and quantification of some common cosmetic ingredients, i.e., preservatives, dyes, heavy metals, allergens, and bioconjugates in various matrices (leave-on or rinse-off cosmetic products). As a global view, MS-based analysis of bioconjugates is a narrow field, and LC- and GC/GC×GC-MS are widely used for the investigation of preservatives, dyes, and fragrances, while inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS is ideal for comprehensive analysis of heavy metals. Ambient ionization approaches and advanced separation methods (i.e., convergence chromatography (UPC2)) coupled to MS have been proven to be an excellent choice for the analysis of scented allergens. At the same time, the current paper explores the challenges of MS-based analysis for cosmetic safety studies.

Sniffing Out the Sustainable Future: The Renewability Revolution in Fragrance Chemistry.

In this review, the impact of the transition from today's resource-wasting petrochemical economy towards a 100/100 renewable and biodegradable future is discussed with respect to the fragrance families: "citrus", "green", "fruity", "floral", "floriental", "oriental", "woody", "chypre" and "fougère". After benchmark data on ingredients usage, definitions on biodegradation and sustainability are given. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of synthetic vanillin, its historic synthesis from renewable starting materials serves as introduction. In the grand scheme of things, citrus scents upcycled from the beverages industry, are already an ideal case for 100/100 with new opportunities for artificial essential oils. In the fruity domain, transparent and lactonic ingredients are available in a sustainable manner. However, in the domain of green odorants, there is a lack of green chemistry for important key materials. In the floral family, renewability is more critical than biodegradability, but cost is an issue. Thanks to Ambrox and maltol, florientals and orientals will persist, while woody notes severely lack an Iso E Super replacer. In the chypre genre, patchouli became the new moss, but more musks are increasingly in demand. With their high percentage of linalool and dihydromyrcenol, the construction of fougères could well become a precedent for other families, despite challenges in vetiver and salicylates. Still, the challenges exemplified here create immense opportunities for new perfumery materials.

Personal Care Product Use during Puberty and Incident Breast Cancer among Black, Hispanic/Latina, and White Women in a Prospective US-Wide Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Some personal care products (PCPs) contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may affect breast cancer (BC) risk. Patterns of use vary by race and ethnicity. Use often starts in adolescence, when rapidly developing breast tissue may be more susceptible to environmental carcinogens. Few studies have examined associations of BC with PCP use during this susceptible window. OBJECTIVES: We characterized race and ethnicity-specific patterns of PCP use at 10-13 years of age and estimated associations of use with incident BC. METHODS: At enrollment (2003-2009), Sister Study participants (n=4,049 Black, 2,104 Latina, and 39,312 White women) 35-74 years of age reported use of 37 "everyday" PCPs during the ages of 10-13 y (did not use, sometimes, or frequently used). We conducted race and ethnicity-specific latent class analyses to separately identify groups of women with similar patterns of beauty, hair, and skincare/hygiene product use. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations of identified PCP classes and single products with incident BC using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up time of 10.8 y, 280 Black, 128 Latina, and 3,137 White women were diagnosed with BC. Classes of adolescent PCP use were not clearly associated with BC diagnosis among Black, Latina, or White women. HRs were elevated but imprecise for frequent nail product and perfume use in Black women (HR=1.34; 95% CI: 0.85, 2.12) and greater hair product use in Black (HR=1.28; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.80) and Latina (HR=1.42; 95% CI: 0.81, 2.48) women compared with lighter use. In single-product models, we observed higher BC incidence associated with frequent use of lipstick, nail products, pomade, perfume, makeup remover, and acne/blemish products in at least one group. DISCUSSION: This work provides some support for the hypothesis that PCP use during puberty is associated with BC risk. More research is needed to confirm these novel findings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13882.