Ever heard of endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and the impact they can have on your health? If not, we are pretty confident that you'll be hearing a lot more about it soon. With numerous doctors, wellness platforms and brands bringing this topic to the forefront it was only a matter of time that a certification for “Endocrine Disrupting Free” products was created by the Hormone University. This will allow brands across vitamins, food, personal care and household to apply for an independently verified seal to ensure products are free from chemicals of concern that meet Hormone University's strictest standards for your health.

So, Endocrine Disruptors? What exactly are they and why is it such an issue? EDCs are defined as “natural or man-made chemicals that may mimic or interfere with the body's hormones, known as the endocrine system”1. Unfortunately, you’ll find them in just about everything from plastics, detergents, flame retardants, foods, toys, cosmetics and pesticides. However, the cosmetics and personal care sector is an increasing area of concern due to the sheer size of the market and level of consumption. Hence, more and more research is now focused on “these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), parabens, benzophenones, bisphenols, and phthalates… the most widely found in these products.“2 The majority of these ingredients are often added to enhance a formula's stability, texture, and fragrance; it can be hard to avoid them!

Emerging brands like Veracity Skincare, Hilma and Hormone University's strategic brand Glow Botanica are early market adopters to taking the idea of "clean beauty" to its next defining level across the industry—being that they’re collections are free from endocrine disrupters.

Whilst there are still definite gaps in the research and the understanding of the long term effects of these ingredients, there is enough research to show that “Exposure to endocrine disruptors has been progressively linked with a growing number of increasing diseases in the human population…a key concern is the cumulative and synergic effects that endocrine disruptors could have when mixed in consumer products.”3

This sort of information has initiated growing concern amongst regulatory agencies about the presence of EDCs in cosmetics, with the EU and Canada putting restrictions in place on ingredients like triclosan, phthalates in cosmetics, Bisphenol A (BPA), certain parabens and others. Many organizations have taken steps to restrict certain chemicals, but there are still a wide number of chemicals being used in a range of consumer products. What’s clear is that it's a topic of debate with the long term implications of some of these chemicals still needing more research.

With Endocrine disruptors lurking everywhere, consumers are growing more aware and determined to uncover what goes into the products they use; both at the formula and packaging levels. Surely, the seal of approval from platforms like the Hormone University will help consumers who are concerned with their hormonal health make more informed choices? If only it were so simple!

This might be a bit of a controversial topic for the beauty world as many brands would not be eligible for the seal of approval and might contest that the long term science isn’t conclusive. It’ll be interesting to watch for continued efforts to regulate or ban the use of endocrine disruptors in consumer products, as well as increased research in this field. What’s more interesting is seeing how brands, formulators, manufacturers will continue to respond to a legitimate consumer need for more transparency around their personal care choices and the impact of endocrine disruptors on their health.

1- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Endocrine Disruptors https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm

2- . Francisco M. Peinado, Luz M. Iribarne-Duràn, Olga Ocón-Hernàndez, Nicolàs Olea and Francisco Artacho-Cordón, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal care Products and Risk of Endometriosis, IntechOpen, June 29,2020 https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72654

3- https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/5/4/61 Endocrine Disruption by Mixtures in Topical Consumer Products

Endocrine Disruptors And What They Could Mean For The Beauty Industry

Masculinity Mavericks - The Rise of Male Beauty

What Are Beauty Buyers Looking For In Brands Today?