How to Identify Phthalates in an Ingredient List

If you're unfamiliar, phthalates are a particularly nasty brand of chemicals that are nearly ubiquitous in our food supply, personal care products, and household items. Phthalates are linked to all kinds of maladies, including diabetes, obesity, reproductive harm for both men and women, hormone disruption, developmental delays in infants, lower IQ in children, and even infertility.

Manufacturers go to great lengths to disguise whether their products contain phthalates. It's not often that you'll find the word "phthalate" listed in the ingredients list, because it would show just how little concern they have for your health and likely lead to a massive drop in their revenue for products with formulas that rely on phthalates. If their ingredient trickery is the bad news, the good news is that they often rely on one simple term to hide their use of phthalates. That term is "fragrance". Or if they're really trying to be fancy, it might be listed as "parfum".

Let's have a look at some examples for shampoo. Can you spot the trickery?

Although we're picking on shampoo here, these endocrine disrupting chemicals are nearly omnipresent in all personal care products, from face washes to toothpaste and deodorant. Anything that has a scent is a possible threat. The exception to this rule is when the scent comes from certain essential oils, which are generally recognized as safe to use. The difference in synthetic fragrance (aka phthalate-based fragrance) and natural fragrance (aka essential oils) is discussed at length in a comprehensive study in the journal Molecule. It's important to note that some essential oil fragrances do cause allergic reactions in some, so it's still best to check the product label closely if you have specific allergies.

In rare cases, manufacturers directly list a phthalate in the ingredient list. We believe this is either an act of hubris or stupidity. But in any case, here are the most common phthalates to look out for in personal care products:

• Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP): Common in nail polishes and other nail products.
• Diethyl Phthalate (DEP): Often used in fragrances as a solvent and fixative.
• Di-2-ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP): Used in a variety of products, including some cosmetics.
• Dimethyl Phthalate (DMP): Occasionally found in hair sprays and other cosmetic products.
• Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBzP): Used in vinyl flooring, car-care products, and some personal care products.
• Di-n-octyl Phthalate (DnOP): Less commonly used but may be found in some consumer products.
• Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP): Sometimes present in various plastics and cosmetic items.
• Diisodecyl Phthalate (DIDP): Rare in personal care products but used in some plastics.

You'll most often see these phthalates listed as their acronyms in an ingredient list to obscure their true nature. For example, it's much more common to see DBP or DEP instead of Dibutyl Phthalate or Diethyl Phthalate. Either way, run away! And of course search for a hassle-free, high quality product replacement in our inventory.

While it can be a pain to memorize the full list of phthalates, it's much easier to search for the word fragrance. So our advice is to start there. It only takes a couple of minutes to look over the ingredient lists on the 15-20 items you use every day. If you see "fragrance" in something you use, whether that be laundry detergent, deodorant, or shampoo, it's best to make the swap today as every exposure further disrupts your endocrine system.

We wish you the best of luck in finding these problem products before they cause further damage, and as always we're here to answer any questions you may have.