PFAS contaminate not only cosmetics but also food, drinking water and soil. Food and water are believed to be the most significant sources of exposure to PFAS. But cosmetics and other products can also expose people to PFAS.
EWG considers any PFAS used in personal care products to be concerning, even at low amounts. Forever chemicals build up in the body and environment.
That is why the scientific community has urged regulating PFAS as a class and ending all non-essential uses. For these reasons, EWG’s Skin Deep® guide to safer personal care products rates all PFAS compounds a 10 – the highest hazard.
Studies have found cosmetics can contain multiple individual PFAS at high concentrations and that they could be a significant source of short-chain PFAS exposure.
In 2018, EWG analyzed 75,000 cosmetics in Skin Deep to see which ones contained PFAS. The analysis found 13 PFAS used as ingredients. PTFE was the most common forever chemicals ingredient, intentionally used in 66 different products.
A 2024 study in Europe analyzed nearly 765 product labels for PFAS. It identified 11 different PFAS ingredients mostly used in makeup products like foundations, eyeshadow and mascara.
Researchers at Notre Dame tested 231 personal care products, with results published in 2021. The study found that, depending on the product being tested, as many as 50% to 60% had high levels of fluorine, an indicator of the likely presence of PFAS. Foundation, mascara, and eye and lip products contained the highest concentration. But the researchers found that PFAS appeared on the ingredient labels of only 8% of products tested.
PFAS and personal care products
PFAS are used in thousands of commercial and industrial products beyond cosmetics, and these other uses can potentially contaminate personal care products.
Mamavation in 2023 tested more than 165 cosmetics for fluorine, finding a greater amount than expected based on ingredient labels.
PFAS may be in personal care products unintentionally because of raw material impurities. Another possible source are the fluorinated plastic containers used to store chemicals, including fragrances and flavors.
Researchers in California found PFAS in shaving cream and gel, hair care products, facial cleansers, sun care products, and lotions and moisturizers. Some of these products are rinsed off after application, with the chemicals washing down the drain. Cosmetics alone may contribute to the release into the environment thousands of pounds of PFAS contamination.
Avoiding exposure
EWG recommends avoiding cosmetics with intentionally added PFAS. Choosing PFAS-free personal care products is particularly important in the case of cosmetics applied daily, near the eyes and lips, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Steps consumers can take to avoid PFAS in cosmetics:
- Check ingredient names carefully. Beware ingredients with “fluoro,” “perfluoro” or “PTFE” in the name. But not all ingredients named “fluoro” are PFAS – for instance, the toothpaste ingredient sodium monofluorophosphate is not a PFAS. Nor is “synthetic fluorphlogopite” which is sometimes spelled fluorophlogopite.
- Use trusted databases and apps. Search Skin Deep or EWG’s Healthy Living App to learn more about ingredients and avoid products with intentionally added PFAS.
- Look for products bearing the EWG Verified® mark. EWG Verified products do not contain PFAS ingredients. They’ve been reviewed by EWG scientists, meeting the organization’s rigorous standards for health and transparency.