Study finds cancer-causing chemicals in several popular beauty products used by Black and Latina women
Several lotions, cleansers and other beauty products marketed to Black and Latina women contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, according to a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science & Technology Letters journal. These chemicals are known carcinogens, which means they can cause cancer or help it grow.
The study was based on surveys filled out by 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles. Each time one of the women used a personal care product, they took a picture of the ingredient label and sent it to researchers via an app.
Fifty-three percent of the women used at least one personal care product that listed formaldehyde releasers on its label, the study found. These women also reported using many of these products daily or multiple times per week.
The carcinogen was found in 58 percent of the haircare products reported, the study revealed. But women also reported using shampoo, lotions, body soap and eyelash glue that contain the carcinogen. Twelve of the lotions containing formaldehyde-releasing preservatives that the women reported using were from the same brand: Bath & Body Works.
The Independent has contacted Bath & Body Works for comment.
Formaldehyde presents an 'unreasonable risk of injury to human health' in current practices, the Environmental Protection Agency said in January. Previous studies had already revealed the carcinogen is in products to help straighten hair or smooth curls, and it poses a disproportionate risk to Black women and other women of color.
This week's study is the first to demonstrate that the carcinogen is in a wide variety of products beyond hair straighteners, according to the researchers.
'We found that this isn't just about hair straighteners,' lead author Dr. Robin Dodson said in a press release. 'These chemicals are in products we use all the time, all over our bodies. Repeated exposures like these can add up and cause serious harm.'
Dodson said it can be hard for consumers to identify which products contain formaldehyde: 'They have long, weird, funny names, and they typically don't have the word formaldehyde in them.'
One of the key chemicals to stay away from is the formaldehyde-releasing preservative DMDM hydantoin, she said.
Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of the advocacy organization Black Women for Wellness, called for greater government oversight of these products.
'We're trying to do the right thing,' Flint said in a statement 'But there needs to be more government oversight. We shouldn't have to be chemists to figure out what kinds of products will make us sick.'
The European Union and ten U.S. states have banned or proposed a ban on formaldehyde. The Food and Drug Administration even proposed a national ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in 2023, but it has yet to be enacted.
But Dodson said the best solution would be ending the use of these chemicals in personal products altogether.
'Ideally, companies shouldn't be putting these chemicals in products in the first place,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
An Ohio couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption, Linda and Tim Pierce used a handful of embryos donated in 1994 in pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining attraction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about 2% of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors that allows people like Archerd. She was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know, Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.'
Reuters
28 minutes ago
- Reuters
Bain Capital-backed Heartflow eyes $1.32 billion valuation as medtech IPOs rebound
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Medical technology company Heartflow said on Friday it was targeting a valuation of up to $1.32 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, more than three years after its previous attempt to go public fell through. Mountain View, California-based Heartflow is seeking up to $212.5 million by offering 12.5 million shares priced between $15 and $17 apiece. A string of successful high-profile debuts in recent months has injected fresh momentum into the new listings market after a slowdown fueled by tariff-driven turmoil in April. Heartflow's listing also comes amid a nascent rebound in medical technology IPOs after a years-long downturn. Medtech firms Beta Bionics (BBNX.O), opens new tab, Kestra Medical (KMTS.O), opens new tab, Carlsmed (CARL.O), opens new tab and Shoulder Innovations (SI.N), opens new tab have gone public in New York this year. "Heartflow's strong top-line growth and high gross margins position it well for initial investor interest, especially given its similarity to commercialized Beta Bionics and Kestra Medical," IPOX CEO Josef Schuster said. The company expects revenue to be between $42.9 million and $43.4 million for the three months ended June 30, a jump of 38% to 40% from a year earlier. Still, with broader market volatility rising and select deals trading below offer, investors may be cautious beyond the first trading day, Schuster said. Heartflow had earlier looked to go public through a merger with Larry Robbins-backed special purpose acquisition company at a $2.8 billion valuation. Those plans fell apart in 2022. A year later, Heartflow raised $215 million in a funding round led by private investment firm Bain Capital. It is also backed by asset managers Hayfin and Wellington. Founded in 2007 as Cardiovascular Simulation, Heartflow's AI-enabled products help physicians to diagnose and treat heart disease. Heartflow mainly generates revenue on a "pay-per-click" basis each time physicians use its products for diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease. J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Piper Sandler are the lead underwriters. Heartflow will list on the Nasdaq under the symbol "HTFL".
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Insomniacs say natural supplement helps them sleep through the night... and science says they're right
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Sleep-deprived Americans are turning to a common drugstore supplement in droves after Reddit users hailed magnesium as a 'game-changer' for insomnia. Fans claim magnesium glycinate, a gentler form of the mineral, helps them drift off without digestive distress. Magnesium glycinate is having a moment, with wellness experts, TikTok influencers, and some sleep specialists singing its praises online for its ability to improve sleep and reduce anxiety. Magnesium is commonly found in legumes, peanut butter, leafy greens, soybeans, among many other foods. It is critical for hundreds of basic biochemical processes, including muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, the ability of cells to create proteins, and blood pressure regulation. It also calms the nervous system before bed, relaxes the muscles, and helps produce the sleep hormone melatonin. Over 70 million Americans struggle with insomnia, and around a quarter of Americans experience daytime sleepiness as a result. Magnesium has been shown in double-blind placebo-controlled trials, the research gold standard, to extend a person's time asleep, improve sleep quality, increase the concentration of melatonin, and decrease the stress hormone cortisol. For sleep improvement, it is crucial to choose magnesium glycinate over magnesium citrate, which is a laxative. The recommended daily amount of magnesium is 320 milligrams (mg) a day for women and 420 mg a day for men. Blood tests can show whether someone is deficient in magnesium, which can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue, or more serious conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The normal range for blood magnesium is 1.7 to 2.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). One fan of the supplement on Reddit said: 'It does really improve my sleep in my own experience. 'When I tried magnesium, it's the first time in like decades that I'm sleeping straight for like eight to nine hours. I used to sleep like six hours a day.' Another person said: 'Magnesium did wonders for my restless legs and overall capability to rest. Great stuff!' A third added: 'I've taken magnesium for the past five years and swear by it.' Some people mentioned, though, that the benefits to their sleep were short-lived, with one saying: 'It's effects wore off after doing it two nights in a row or so.' Some combine it with other supplements for a boost. A commenter said she takes magnesium glycinate combined with calcium and zinc, 'and I believe it has helped me.' Nature's Bounty magnesium glycinate $19.99 Shop The three-part nighttime cocktail can bring out several benefits, such as enhancing muscle relaxation and melatonin synthesis, boosting GABA (which slows down brain activity), and supporting deeper sleep. The trio may also stabilize circadian rhythms. Magnesium glycinate is well-absorbed in the body, making it more effective, and its gentle nature on the stomach makes it a popular choice for people who struggle to fall asleep or sleep through the night. A 2012 double-blind, randomized clinical trial suggests that magnesium supplementation may significantly improve both subjective and objective measures of insomnia in older adults, offering a potential alternative to conventional sleep medications. The study, conducted among 46 elderly people, found that an eight-week regimen of 500 mg of magnesium daily led to notable improvements in sleep duration, efficiency, and key hormonal markers linked to sleep regulation. The findings, while they seem small, were statistically significant improvements. They revealed that compared to placebo, the magnesium group experienced statistically significant increases in sleep time by 0.2 percent and sleep efficiency increased by three percent, alongside reductions in sleep onset latency by two percent and insomnia severity scores down by 0.06 percent. Biomarkers such as serum renin, an enzyme that helps regulate blood pressure, and melatonin rose significantly, by more than 0.1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. Cortisol levels associated with wakefulness declined significantly by 0.8 percent, suggesting that magnesium plays a dual role in modulating both brain chemical pathways and the body's circadian rhythm. Getting too little sleep, generally considered to be fewer than seven hours, contributes to several health issues, including bloating, brittle nails, overeating, diabetes, and poor skin. It can also leave people with too little energy to exercise and be active. Past research has shown that ghrelin, a hormone promoting hunger, increases with insufficient sleep, while leptin, a hormone contributing to satiety perception, decreases. Poor sleep hygiene has also been linked to inflammation in the body, which can spur the growth of cancer cells, and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, dementia, and autoimmune disorders.
