Using fewer cosmetics leads to a massive and rapid decrease in the concentration of certain chemical pollutants and endocrine disruptors (such as bisphenol A) in human urine, according to a study published in early April 2026 and made public on April 22 by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). According to this study, published in the journal Environment International Researchers from Inserm, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) and CNRS have found that even minimal use of personal care products (shampoos, soaps or makeup) can reduce the body's exposure to several chemicals, including endocrine disruptors, in just a few days.
Exposed to the chemicals in hygiene products
Researchers asked around a hundred female students from Grenoble, aged 18 to 30, to reduce the number of cosmetic products they used for five days. The students were also asked to replace their usual hygiene products—such as soap or toothpaste—with alternative products provided by the researchers, free of synthetic phenols, parabens, phthalates, and glycol ethers.
Urine tests
The researchers then compared urinary measurements taken before and after these five days of restriction. The result: nearly a quarter less exposure (-22%) for monoethyl phthalate, derived from compounds used, among other things, to fix perfumes, or even "-30% for methylparaben, a preservative and possible endocrine disruptor, according to European authorities"" , indicates Inserm. The scientists also observed a decrease of 39% in the urinary concentration of bisphenol A (BPA), classified as an endocrine disruptor by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). Bisphenol A is suspected of being linked to multiple disorders and diseases (breast cancer, infertility, etc.).
For stricter regulations
“ Bisphenol A has been banned in France since 2005 as an ingredient in personal care and cosmetic products due to its reprotoxic nature. Its presence could be linked to contamination occurring during the manufacturing process or via packaging materials."These results," Inserm stated in a press release. could support the implementation of stricter regulations targeting the composition of skincare products (e.g., glycol ethers) or the entire production and packaging process (bisphenol A)", the study concludes.
A level of exposure that has decreased in just five days
“ Among all sources of exposure, the use of personal care and cosmetic products is a significant one, because addressing this source can clearly reduce exposure.“,” one of its authors, Claire Philippat, a researcher at Inserm, told AFP. For Nicolas Jovanovic, a doctoral student at the University of Grenoble Alpes and the study's first author, quoted in the Inserm press release, "What's interesting is the speed with which we observe these decreases, in just five days. This was expected, given the rapid elimination of these substances by our bodies. It's encouraging, especially since these substances are suspected of having effects on reproduction, the hormonal system, and development.".
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"On an individual level, we can act on our levels of exposure."
For Claire Philippat, the message is " encouraging, because " "At an individual level, we can act on our exposure levels, at least for the substances we have studied."She adds: But we cannot rely solely on individual behavioral changes to modify these exposures. This implies that regulations must be strong regarding chemical substances in personal care and cosmetic products.According to the press release from Inserm, the authors of the study believe that a logo made mandatory by regulations indicating the presence of hazardous substances in cosmetics would be useful. Without such indicators, it It is very difficult for everyone to interpret the information on packaging and to avoid products containing substances of concern.
The study specifies among its conclusions that " If applied to pregnant women, the reduction in bisphenol A exposure observed in the present study would result in a significant reduction in cases of asthma and wheezing, as well as the prevention of an average IQ loss of half a point in the children of these women.
Read alsoEndocrine disruptors during pregnancy: a risk of behavioral disorders in children?
Omnibus VI
This study comes as the European Parliament is due to vote at the end of April on a change to European regulations on cosmetics as part of the so-called omnibus measures (omnibus VI for cosmetics), simplified procedures For modify regulatory texts quickly of the European Union. This text, criticized in particular by theconsumer protection association UFC-Que Choisir, must give manufacturers more time to withdraw from sale products containing substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction.
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