Chemicals Commonly Found in Cosmetics May Raise Risk of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Chemicals commonly found in cosmetics may raise the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy, a new study finds.

The chemicals, called phenols and parabens, help prevent the growth of bacteria and mold in makeup and are used as UV filters in sunscreen.

Researchers followed more than 1,400 pregnant women in Puerto Rico, looking at their exposure to these chemicals and the health impact.

”Women, on average, use at least 12 personal care products a day. And the fact that these can increase, may increase risk of hypertension during pregnancy is important because that sets the stage for lifelong health in both the mother and the child,” says lead author Julia Varshavsky of Northeastern University.

She says everyday products that we think are safe may actually be harming us and our babies at a critical time.

“Hypertension during pregnancy increases risk of heart disease and diabetes after pregnancy in both the mom and the child. And it does this even among women who have never had hypertension before pregnancy. It also increases the risk of a dangerous pregnancy complication called preeclampsia in the mom, which is also a risk factor for preterm birth in the child. And preterm birth, as many people know, is linked to a wide array of adverse health and developmental outcomes in children.”

And Varshavsky says there’s no need to believe the link between these chemicals and hypertension would be limited to women during pregnancy.

While the findings are concerning, she says there are things we can do to minimize our exposure.

“When I was pregnant, I did try to limit the amount of products I use more so than I would otherwise. I definitely would suggest to try to focus on fragrance-free products and products that are, have been identified or labeled as paraben-free, for example, which is something that is occurring.”

But Varshavsky adds this is not a problem we can shop our way out of.  She says toxicity testing before chemicals hit the market should be required --- and “We need to push for industry innovation to make these products that we need, but make them safer.”

For now, she recommends checking the Skin Deep cosmetics database put together by the Environmental Working Group.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives

Author Affiliations: Northeastern University , Emory University, Michigan University