Industry Dismisses Cosmetic Phthalate Link To Diabetes
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
A study published July 13 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that women with higher phthalate levels are more likely to have diabetes, pointing to personal-care products as a possible culprit. Industry associations say the phthalates studied are not used in personal-care products and maintain that there is “no causal link” between phthalates and diabetes.
A new study suggests a connection between phthalate concentrations in the body and an increased risk of diabetes. With personal-care products cited as a possible source, industry groups maintain there is “no causal link” between phthalates used in beauty products and the disease.
The study in question analyzed data provided by urine samples from 2,350 women who participated in a National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey between 2001 and 2008, finding that women with higher urinary phthalate levels were more likely to have diabetes.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School published the study in the July 13 edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
A release from Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests that “endocrine-disrupting” phthalates are commonly found in personal-care products, and states: “Chemicals in personal-care products may increase risk of diabetes in women.”
Industry groups disagree, noting that the phthalates in the study that may correlate to diabetes are not used in personal-care products.
The only phthalate with “significant use” in cosmetics is diethyl phthalate (DEP), and the study “found no association between DEP and diabetes in any of the models used by the study’s authors,” Linda Loretz, director of safety and regulatory toxicology with the Personal Care Products Council says in a statement.
According to the Council’s CosmeticsInfo.org, DEP functions as a plasticizer, solvent and denaturant in cosmetic products.
Loretz notes that DEP’s safety has been validated by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel and the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and that “personal-care products remain one of the safest categories of products regulated by the FDA.”
The U.K.’s Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association also weighed in on the study, emphasizing the safety record of cosmetics and personal-care products.
The trade group notes that of the four phthalates cited in the study, dis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate is banned from use in cosmetics, while the others (mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-isobutyl phthalate and mono-n-butyl phthalate) have no known uses in cosmetic products.
“It is important to stress that no direct links have been found between diabetes and the use of phthalates in personal-care products,” CTPA says in a July 16 release. “In all cases, it is very important to put the science into context.”
The study authors acknowledge that further research on the subject is needed.
“This is an important first step in exploring the connection between phthalates and diabetes,” lead investigator Tamarra James-Todd says in a release. “We know that in addition to being present in personal-care products, phthalates also exist in certain types of medical devices and medication that is used to treat diabetes and this could also explain the higher level of phthalates in diabetic women. So overall, more research is needed.”
The study notes that previous studies have shown that women typically have higher urinary concentrations of several phthalates compared with men. James-Todd, et al., surmise that the discrepancy could be attributed to women’s higher use of personal-care products.
Study Results, Shortcomings
The study found that after adjusting for socio-demographic, dietary, body mass and behavioral factors, women with higher levels of phthalates “had increased odds of diabetes compared to women with the lowest levels of phthalates.”
Women in the highest quartile of mono-benzyl phthalate and mono-isobutyl phthalate levels had nearly twice the risk of diabetes compared with the lowest quartile, while women with higher-than-median levels of mono-(3-carbodypropyl) phthalate had a 60% greater risk of diabetes.
The existence of diabetes was self-reported by study subjects.
In women without diagnosed diabetes, there may be evidence that phthalate exposure is associated with insulin resistance and alteration of glucose metabolism, suggesting “the need to further explore the association between phthalates, insulin resistance, and diabetes.”
In conclusion, James-Todd et al. state: “If future studies determine causal links between phthalates and diabetes, then reducing phthalate exposure could decrease the risk of diabetes in women.”