Cosmetics and Hair Dye

Millions of women and men around the world use 

cosmetics to enhance or change their appearance. 

The common term makeup refers to cosmetics such 

as foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush, 

and lipstick. Other cosmetics may include nail polish, 

body wash and moisturizers, perfumes, and hair coloring 

or styling products.

Hair dyes and straighteners involve a series of chemical 

reactions. For example, permanent hair color is mixed 

with colorless dye precursors and a stabilizer, and 

applied to the scalp and hair. The mix of chemicals 

process together to make the final color, which bonds to 

the hair.

Can these products affect health? 

Some chemicals in cosmetics are considered endocrine 

disrupting, which means they can interfere with the 

body’s hormones. They may alter bodily processes such 

as the timing of puberty, and may cause other health 

problems for adults.1

Consumers may choose from hundreds of hair dye 

products that contain combinations of more than 5,000 

different chemicals. In the late 1970s, some hair dye 

chemicals were linked with cancer in laboratory animals, 

so many manufacturers removed these chemicals from 

their products. However, some hair dyes on the market 

today contain substances that are in the same chemical 

class as those removed.2

What is NIEHS doing?

Cosmetics and hair dye products contain a mix of 

chemicals. NIEHS is working to better understand if any of 

these compounds are harmful.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP), housed 

at NIEHS, conducts research on chemicals used in 

cosmetics and related products, including:

• Antimicrobials, such as triclosan, are used in some body 

washes and other products to kill or stop the growth of 

microorganisms, such as bacteria.

• Engineered nanomaterials, like zinc oxide and 

titanium dioxide, are commonly used in cosmetics and 

sunscreens to protect skin from harmful ultraviolet rays. 

Engineered nanomaterials are measured in nanometers. 

A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter, or 

approximately 100,000 times smaller than the diameter 

of a human hair.

• Parabens are used to preserve the shelf life of many 

cosmetic and scented products.

• Phthalates are found in cosmetics, such as nail polish 

and hair spray, and plastic packaging. 

NIEHS-funded research found women working as 

cosmetologists and manicurists had an increased chance 

of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy. 

They also found a higher risk for placenta previa, a 

condition where the placenta partially or totally covers the 

cervix — the opening to the uterus — which can cause 

severe bleeding during pregnancy and delivery.3

NIEHS-supported research also found that Latina 

adolescent girls, who reported daily use of certain makeup 

and other cosmetic products, had higher levels of 

endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their urine, which may 

affect reproductive development.4

A subsequent study found daughters of women whose 

urine was found to have phthalates and other endocrinedisrupting chemicals may start puberty earlier.5

Children born to mothers with high levels of phthalates in 

their urine were up to 30% more likely to have language 

delays compared with children born to mothers with 

lower levels.6

Is there a link between hair dye and cancer?

A study conducted by the International Agency 

for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health 

Organization, concluded that occupational exposure 

to hair dye, such as by a hairdresser or barber, showed 

limited evidence in humans for carcinogenicity.7

PO Box 12233 • Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

Phone: 919-541-3345 • www.niehs.nih.gov

February 2020

National Institutes of Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

 Printed on recycled paper
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Some studies found an increased risk of bladder cancer in 

hairdressers.

8

 However, study results are mixed for people 

who dye their own hair, and the link to bladder and other 

cancers is uncertain.

In the NIEHS Sister Study, women who regularly used hair 

dye were 9% more likely than women who didn’t use hair 

dye to develop breast cancer. Among African American 

women, using permanent dyes every five to eight weeks 

or more was associated with a 60% increased chance 

of developing breast cancer as compared with an 8% 

increased risk for white women.9

How does NIEHS work with other federal agencies?

At NIEHS, NTP collaborates with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, the National Center for Advancing 

Translational Sciences, and the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA), to conduct toxicity testing with 

robotics of 10,000 chemical compounds, including those 

found in cosmetic products. Called Toxicology in the 21st 

Century, or Tox21, the program‘s goal is to develop ways 

to rapidly test whether substances are associated with 

health problems. 

Are cosmetics and hair dye regulated?

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regulates 

the cosmetics and personal care industry in the 

United States. The law mandates that manufacturers 

report the safety of cosmetic products to the FDA. 

But, cosmetics do not undergo the same stringent 

premarket approval as drugs, except for color additives.10

Makeup products with sunscreen are treated as both 

cosmetics and drugs.11

Most hair dyes on the market belong to a class called 

coal-tar. The term coal-tar colors dates to the time when 

coloring materials were byproducts of the coal industry, 

though most are now made from petroleum. Unlike color 

additives in cosmetics, coal-tar hair dyes do not need FDA 

approval if the label includes a special caution statement 

and the product has clear directions for conducting a skin 

test before using the dye.

1 Ferguson KK, Colacino JA, Lewis RC, Meeker JD. 2017. Personal care product use among adults in NHANES: associations between urinary phthalate metabolites and 

phenols and use of mouthwash and sunscreen. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27(3):326-332. 

2 NCI (National Cancer Institute). 2016. Hair Dyes and Cancer Risk. Available: www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/myths/hair-dyes-fact-sheet

[accessed August 22, 2018].

3 Quach T, Von Behren J, Goldberg D, Layefsky M, and Reynolds P. 2015. Adverse birth outcomes and maternal complications in licensed cosmetologists and 

manicurists in California. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88(7):823-833.

4 Berger KP, Kogut KR, Bradman A, She J, Gavin Q, Zahedi R, Parra KL, Harley KG. 2018. Personal care product use as a predictor of urinary concentrations of certain 

phthalates, parabens, and phenols in the HERMOSA study. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol; doi.org/10.1038/s41370-017-0003-z [online 09 January 2018].

5 Harley KG, et al. 2019. Association of phthalates, parabens and phenols found in personal care products with pubertal timing in girls and boys. Hum Reprod 

34(1):109−117.

6 Bornehag CG, et al. 2018. Association of prenatal phthalate exposure with language development in early childhood. JAMA Pediatr 172(12):1169–1176.

7 IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2010. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 99, Some Aromatic 

Amines, Organic Dyes, and Related Exposures: Occupational Exposures of Hairdressers and Barbers, and Personal Use of Hair Colourants. Available: 

https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono99-17.pdf [accessed September 6, 2018].

8 Harling M, Schablon A, Schedlbauer G, Dulon M, Nienhaus A. 2010. Bladder cancer among hairdressers: a meta-analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 

67(5):351-358.

9 Eberle CE, et al. Hair dye and chemical straightener use and breast cancer risk in a large U.S. population of black and white women. Int J Cancer; doi: 10.1002/

ijc.32738

10 FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2016. Does FDA approve cosmetics before they go on the market? 

Available: www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDABasicsforIndustry/ucm238793.htm [accessed September 26, 2018].

11 FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2017. Makeup. Available: https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm134054.htm

[accessed October 3, 2018].

For more information on the 

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 

go to www.niehs.nih.gov.

Further Reading

• American Cancer Society: Cosmetics 

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/

cosmetics.html

• FDA: Cosmetics Safety Q&A: Personal Care Products 

https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ResourcesForYou/

Consumers/ucm136560.htm

• FDA: Hair Dyes 

https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/

Products/ucm143066.htm

• GirlsHealth.gov: Makeup

https://www.girlshealth.gov/body/grooming/

makeup.html