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While women are the biggest users of many of these products, they may not be the ones at greatest risk. Studies show that unborn and nursing babies may be the most vulnerable.
One study designed to measure chemical contaminants in the umbilical cord blood of newborns found 287 potentially toxic chemicals—including 180 known to cause cancer in humans or animals—all before the baby even left the hospital nursery.
Clearly, the study doesn't point to the mother's use of cosmetics as the exclusive source of contamination. Many of these substances can be found in everything from your iPod to your shower curtain, and in soil, air and water.
Moreover, with the exception of a handful of cosmetic chemicals known to be harmful during pregnancy, such as Retin-A, even the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has no rules that limit cosmetic or personal care product use during pregnancy.
Still, some doctors question whether the amount of chemicals found in cosmetics could, for some women or their babies, eventually tip the scale in a harmful way.
"Will you get cancer, or harm your baby, because you use lipstick? Very unlikely. But what worries those of us involved with cancer prevention is that we don't know the cumulative effects of these chemicals, or the synergistic effects of one chemical with another, or what role the chemicals found in cosmetics will play when viewed in the broader scope of the overall chemical exposure we get from all facets of our life," says Julia Smith, director of the Lynne Cohen Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program at the NYU Cancer Institute in New York City.
Bailey says there is no proof that even those ingredients that fall within the same chemical family will necessarily compound or be capable of synergistic activity. "It's like comparing apples and oranges—there is no compounding effect," he says.
Without that evidence, he believes there is no cause for alarm or concern.
Smith takes a slightly more cautious approach. She suggests asking yourself if using a product is essential to your life—and if it isn't, do without it. "Then use the products you do think you need without excess fear or worry. You do what you can and hope it might make a positive difference in your life," she says.
