Phthalates and parabens in personal care linked to heightened breast cancer risk, study flags

19 Oct 2023 --- Nonprofit Breast Cancer Over Time (BCOT) has released findings reporting a link between phthalates and parabens found in personal care products and an increased risk of breast cancer. 

BCOT is created and controlled by breast cancer survivors. It worked in collaboration with experienced breast cancer researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute to assess the impact of reducing specific chemical exposures on breast cells. 

Emilia Omerberg, a study participant, remarks: “Both my mother and grandmother had breast cancer, so I have witnessed the pain of this disease firsthand. Is it inevitable that I will get it, too? Is there something I can do to help prevent it? Does my deodorant and body lotion increase my risk?”

The authors say the findings demonstrate the potential for reducing breast cancer risk by minimizing exposure to hormonally active chemicals.

Additionally, the demand for paraben-free personal care launches has been steadily gaining ground, driven by label-conscious shoppers, a call for natural ingredients and the development of functional alternatives. Innova Market Insights data suggests the indexed number of launches tracked with the paraben-free claim witnessed a 7% annual growth between 2018 and 2022.

Biopsies reveal estrogenic overstimulation
Healthy women were recruited to donate normal breast cells for comparative analysis before and after discontinuing the use of personal care products containing parabens and phthalates, which are estrogen-like manufactured chemicals. BCOT provided participants with replacement products free of these chemicals for the 28-day study duration.

Using shampoos without phthalates and parabens were shown to decrease breast cancer risk factors.The breast cells collected through needle biopsies were analyzed and revealed a reversal of cancer-associated characteristics within the cells of participants who used paraben and phthalate products. Additionally, a reduction in metabolites of these chemicals was observed in their urine.

The study highlights the carcinogenic effects of estrogenic overstimulation in human breast tissue. Personal care products such as shampoo, lotion, makeup and fragrance often contain xenoestrogens, such as parabens and phthalates, which have shown to exhibit estrogenic activity.

Unlike research using animal models, this study focused on understanding how reducing real-time exposure of humans to these estrogen-like chemicals in personal care products decreases breast cancer risk factors in their breast tissue, potentially lowering their risk of developing breast cancer.

“As survivors, our mission is to prevent breast cancer in our children and future generations by focusing on causation research so that cancer never occurs in the first place,” says Polly Marshall, executive director of Breast Cancer Over Time and community principal investigator of the study.

Marshall, a survivor and mother of two, drew inspiration from her weekly support group of women living with breast cancer, whose experiences influenced and shaped the study.”

Continuing researchBCOT researches if personal care products with parabens could increase risk of breast cancer.
The research results have “far-reaching implications for breast cancer prevention and underscore the importance of making informed choices regarding personal care products and cosmetics,” asserts the researchers.

The study titled “Reduction of daily-use parabens and phthalates reverses accumulation of cancer-associated phenotypes within disease-free breast tissue of study subjects” is published in Chemosphere.

“It is essential to replicate this study and pursue additional research into breast cancer prevention, building upon this innovative model that investigates the impact of environmental exposures on normal human breast tissue. Our commitment to the next generation demands it,” concludes Marshall.

Furthermore, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority previously found that adults and children are within reasonable safety limits in their exposure to parabens. However, they remain wary and uncertain of the cumulative effects of using multiple paraben-containing products simultaneously.

Edited by Sabine Waldeck