Your Beauty Routine May Harm Your Lungs, Research Suggests

Aug 14, 2025 - 10:17

Updated: 10 months ago

Your Beauty Routine May Harm Your Lungs, Research Suggests

Women who frequently use beauty and skin care products face a 19 percent higher risk of developing asthma later in life, according to a recent study that tracked nearly 40,000 American women for more than a decade.

The research, published in Environment International, adds to growing concerns about hormone-disrupting chemicals commonly found in everyday personal care items—from lipstick and blush to cuticle cream and artificial nails.

Asthma is often thought of as a childhood condition, but adult-onset asthma affects more people than childhood asthma and disproportionately affects women.

While the reasons aren’t fully understood, growing concern points to women’s higher exposure to hormone-altering chemicals in personal care products as a possible risk factor.

When Personal Care Becomes a Health Hazard

The findings come from the Sister Study, a large cohort of 39,408 women aged 35 to 74 who had a sister diagnosed with breast cancer.

Nearly 1,800 of these women developed asthma in adulthood, and their asthma was linked to the personal products they used.

Women who used blush, lipstick, artificial nails, cuticle cream, and pomade or hair grease more than five times per week had the strongest association with increased asthma risk.

Personal care products often contain a mix of chemicals that can interfere with hormone function, including phthalates, parabens, and “forever chemicals.”

These chemicals are often added for a variety of purposes. Phthalates help make fragrances last longer and create smoother textures. Parabens preserve products by preventing microbial growth. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—also known as PFAS—are a group of synthetic chemicals found in many personal care items. They help make cosmetics spreadable, water-resistant, and glossy. In some cases, plastic packaging can also contain forever chemicals that may leach into the product.

Dr. Thomas Holland, a physician scientist and assistant professor at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging who wasn’t involved in the research, said other studies have similarly found endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in personal care products.

The recent research suggests they may also influence respiratory health through several mechanisms.

Some parabens and phthalates act like hormones or block natural hormone signals. This matters because asthma is influenced by hormones. Increased levels of estrogen—a female sex hormone—have been linked to worsened asthma. Higher levels of estrogen can make immune cells more prone to inflammation and allergies, which can trigger and worsen asthma attacks.

EDCs can also weaken the body’s normal immune response, increasing the risk of both allergic and nonallergic asthma.

Another possible link is oxidative stress—when harmful free radicals overwhelm the body’s ability to neutralize them with antioxidants. This oxidative stress response can damage airway cells, trigger inflammation, and narrow the airways.

Lastly, EDCs may alter how certain genes work, especially those tied to inflammation and immunity, which could make people more vulnerable to asthma over time.

However, Holland cautioned that while the findings are compelling, the biological effects have mostly been observed in lab or early-phase human studies, and more research is needed to confirm whether they explain the study’s associations.

The study found that compared to infrequent users, moderate and frequent users of combined personal care products had a 19 percent higher risk of developing adult-onset asthma. Frequent users of beauty products had a 22 percent higher risk, with similar increases seen for hygiene and skin care products.

These are relative increases—so for every 100 infrequent users who developed asthma, you’d expect about 119 to 122 cases among more frequent users.

Women who developed asthma were more likely to have higher body mass index, greater secondhand smoke exposure, lower income, postmenopausal status, and a family history of asthma—all factors that may have influenced the results.

Regulation of EDCs

While phthalates have been banned in children’s toys and reduced in some personal care products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently does not have sufficient evidence to ban either parabens or phthalates from all cosmetic products due to insufficient evidence that they would affect humans.

Most of the FDA’s efforts on regulating forever chemicals have focused on food packaging, with some types of packaging being phased out in recent years.

Unlike drugs, cosmetic products and ingredients don’t require FDA premarket approval, except for color additives. According to the agency, manufacturers may use any ingredient as long as it is “safe under labeled or customary conditions of use,” “properly labeled,” and does not cause the product “to be adulterated or misbranded” under existing law.

“Manufacturers are not required to fully disclose all components, particularly those in proprietary ‘fragrance’ mixtures,” Holland noted. The FDA also doesn’t require manufacturers to report adverse reactions.

“The knee-jerk reaction when it comes to these studies is always, ‘How should the consumer change?’ and not ‘Why do we have these chemicals in these products?’” Aidan Charron, associate director of EARTHDAY.ORG, told The Epoch Times.

He said that consumers often assume products applied to their skin have been thoroughly vetted. “We need further regulations on these products and greater scrutiny. If companies won’t do it, then it is up to our governing bodies to protect us.”

How to Limit Exposure

While the findings are based on observational data and can’t prove causation, they highlight a potential link between everyday exposures and chronic respiratory disease. “Given the widespread and routine use of these products, even modest increases in risk could have meaningful implications at the population level,” Holland said.

For people concerned about exposure, he suggested potential precautionary steps.

Some consumers may choose to use fewer products, reducing how often they use them, or selecting those labeled “paraben-free” and “phthalate-free”—to help limit their exposure, Holland noted. He added that any changes should reflect a person’s individual preferences and comfort with risk.

Holland said the research underscores the need for stronger regulations and clearer public health messaging so consumers aren’t left to assess product safety on their own.