Personal care product use among diverse women in California: Taking Stock Study

Abstract

Background: Personal care product use may contribute to elevated body burdens of consumer product chemicals among women of color; however, racial/ethnic differences in product use has been understudied. Community-engaged research can support the recruitment of diverse participants. Objective: To document personal care product use among a diverse group of women (aged 18-34 years) living in California. Methods: Through a community-academic partnership, we surveyed 357 women in California about product use information for 54 cosmetic, hair, menstrual/intimate care, and leave-on and rinse-off personal care products. We compared type and frequency of product use among Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, and White women. We also summarized use of scented products and reasons women select products. Results: Women reported using a median of 8 products daily, with some women reporting up to 30 products daily. Hispanic/Latinx and Asian women used more cosmetics, and Black women used more hair and menstrual/intimate products than other women. Of the 54 products compared, there were significant differences in use by race/ethnicity for 28 products, with the largest number of significant differences between Black and White women. Significance: There is growing information on chemical exposures from personal care products and consequent adverse health effects, with implications for health disparities. Yet, there remains limited information on the range and types of products used by diverse racial/ethnic communities. This study helps close an important gap on product use inventories that can enable more informed public health interventions to limit exposures from personal care products.

Chemicals of concern in personal care products used by women of color in three communities of California

“…Cumulative exposure to the same or similarly acting chemicals from frequent use of multiple products may have additive effects and result in higher-than-expected exposures. A recent survey in California found that women used a median of 8, and up to 30, personal care products daily [ 45 ]. We found a total of 37 CoCs listed on labels of 546 products, and up to 10 CoCs listed on a single product.…”

Uncovering Evidence: Associations between Environmental Contaminants and Disparities in Women’s Health

“…This study revealed an increased risk of PTB in women that frequently used hair oils, which contain EDCs, during the last trimester of pregnancy [147]. Interestingly, Black women are more likely than other races to report using hair oil [148]. Although data are limited concerning the potential role of EDCs contributing to the known racial disparity in the risk of PTB, some important inferences can be drawn.…”

Douching and Genital Talc Use: Patterns of Use and Reliability of Self-reported Exposure

“…These race and ethnicity trends are consistent with the results of previous studies. 6,7,11 Though we did not collect data on specific brands or product constituents, prior work has shown that the products marketed to Black/African American women tend to have higher levels of potentially harmful chemicals, 5,6,14,29 further augmenting the exposure burden for this demographic group. 7 Women were fairly consistent in their reported use of both products, and reliability improved further when more general classifications of ever versus never use were compared.…”

“…[5][6][7][8][11][12][13][14] Studies of the long-term health effects of feminine hygiene product use are inherently based on observational rather than experimental data. Some previous studies have described patterns of use, 6,11,12,15,16 but none of these have considered use across the life course, which is often a more relevant metric for understanding the health impacts of feminine hygiene product use on chronic disease outcomes. However, if historic use cannot be accurately recalled, measurement error can bias effect estimates, especially if recall reliability differs by outcome status.…”