Phthalates have traditionally been found in many leading beauty care products, including hair spray, deodorant, nail polish and perfume. They are a group of chemicals used as solvents and fixatives. (They are also used extensively in the plastics industry - to make plastic pliable).
Phthalates can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled as fumes, ingested when they contaminate food, or when children bite or suck on toys. - They have recently been banned for use in children's plastic toys.
They are persistent and bio-accumulative and are widespread contaminants of the environment and the human body. Hundreds of animal studies have shown that phthalates can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system.
Cosmetics companies have always been quoted as saying that the level of phthalates in their products is "safe." That might be true if people were exposed to only one phthalate from one source at any one time, but that is rarely the case. It's the cumulative effect that gives the greatest cause for concern.
Because they 'bio-accumulate', phthalates end up our rivers and seas, where they are ingested by water creatures, eaten by fish, and end up in the food chain. When the fish is eaten, the phthalates, enter the body, where they mix with other phthalates which have been absorbed by the skin. They have even been found in breast milk.
In 2001 the European Union classified phthalates as substances" toxic to reproduction", and In 2003, the European Parliament banned two phthalates - DBP and DEHP - in both domestic and imported cosmetics.
But, current labelling laws contain a "trade secret" loophole that allows companies to use generic terms such as "fragrance" or "parfum" rather than disclosing ingredients.
Most synthetic fragrances contain phthalates - although you'll never find them listed on the label! Women's Environmental Network - WEN has done a lot of research on phthalates, and has produced a report (PDF 250 KB) - "Pretty Nasty". WEN states: "Chemicals that cause birth defects do not belong in products marketed for personal or house-hold use. While the levels of phthalates in some individual products were low, people are being exposed to phthalates from many different products each day."