Phthalates in Cosmetics: The Chemical the Label Doesn’t Always Show

Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds used widely across many industries. 

An important clarification: phthalates are not plastic. They are plasticizers — additives that make plastic soft and flexible. 

In cosmetics they serve other purposes too: most often as a solvent and fixative in fragrance,for example DEP (diethyl phthalate), which extends how long a scent lasts on the skin.

Two different mechanisms are often confused here: 

• Added on purpose — a phthalate like DEP is put into the formula as a fragrance solvent. 
• Released over time — other phthalates can separate and migrate from plastic packaging into the product, especially in oily and alcohol-based media. 

Like a fragrance slowly spreading through the air, these substances do not always stay in one place.

Liquid cosmetics — lotions, creams, shampoos, shower gels, conditioners — combine exactly that: water, thickeners, active ingredients, preservatives, fragrance systems (where DEP can live), and plastic packaging (which may also contain phthalates).

The mere presence of phthalates in a product does not automatically mean risk.

The issue is repeated daily exposure.

Most people use several products every day: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face cream, deodorant, sunscreen, perfume. Phthalates have been documented in the body with regular, daily use of common cosmetic products.

The logical question is: what happens when that accumulates?

For example, a2024 study found that women who regularly use more personal care products have measurably higher levels of phthalate metabolites in urine.

Phthalates can enter the body in several ways: 

• Through the skin, when a product is applied directly. 
• Through breathing, especially with sprays and perfumes. 
• Through the mouth, if a product is used near the face or lips.

When these exposures repeat every day, they add up as part of total exposure.

Phthalates are not inert. Once they enter the body, they can act as endocrine disruptors— chemicals that mimic or interfere with the action of natural hormones.

What matters is not only how much is in a single product, but the frequency, duration, and route of exposure. That is why low doses and repeated use are so important with endocrine-active chemicals.

In women — the main consumers of many cosmetics — research links higher phthalate exposure with changes in reproductive health, including menstrual cycle changes and ovarian function.

Някои проучвания ги свързват и с ендометриоза и синдром на поликистозни яйчници.

This is where things get more nuanced.

The European Union has restricted or banned some phthalates in cosmetics — such as DBP, DEHP, and BBP. But “regulated” does not mean “eliminated.”

Others, such as DEP, are still used widely in certain applications, including fragrance compositions.

What’s more, when a phthalate is part of a fragrance, the law does not always require it to be listed separately on the label. Instead, you often see only one word: Parfum.

That does not mean every product with “Parfum” contains phthalates. But it does mean you cannot always tell from the INCI list whether they are there.

And that is what makes this so difficult for consumers: the label can look clear without actually being fully transparent.

When we talk about cosmetics, we almost always discuss ingredients. We rarely discuss the formula itself.

Most liquid products start with water. Water isn’t the problem on its own — but it brings a whole system with it: preservatives to stop microbes, stabilisers to stop separation, and plastic packaging to protect the liquid.

That system is what opens the door to phthalates. Plastic packaging can slowly release them into the formula. And more complex fragrance and solubilizing systems are exactly where fixatives like DEP are used — hidden behind the word “Parfum.”

In other words, phthalates rarely come from the water directly. They come from what a water-based formula demands around it: more packaging, more fragrance carriers, more places to hide. 

The more useful question isn’t “which ingredients are bad,” but “why does this formula need to exist at all.”

If a product is waterless and solid, much of that system simply falls away — less packaging, fewer helper ingredients.

Important: waterless on its own is not magic and does not automatically mean “phthalate-free.” A scented solid product can still contain DEP. The difference comes when removing the water is paired with a deliberate choice — no phthalate fixatives and no plastic packaging.

It isn’t realistic to eliminate contact with phthalates completely. They are present in many products and materials around us, including clothing and furniture.

But you can reduce unnecessary daily exposure: 

• Use fewer, better-formulated products with as minimal an ingredient list as possible. 
• Read INCI lists, but also look at the formula as a whole. 
• Pay attention not only to ingredients, but also to the format of the product. 
• Choose products designed to rely on fewer helper substances and less plastic from the start.

For us, that is exactly the idea behind waterless cosmetics. Not because every water-based formula is “bad,” but because sometimes the best way to solve a problem is simply to remove the reason it exists.

If you want to see what that looks like in practice, explore YOGH’s waterless, minimalist formulas.