Chapter 1 Resources

What’s really in hair dye, and is it safe to use? Some research on hair dye safety dates back decades, so one might assume it’s out of date; however, the main ingredients are unchanged.  Younger women are particularly vulnerable to harm from exposure to chemicals in hair dye that mimic or block estrogen.

This comprehensive and balanced article at webmd.com provides links to research on the topic of risk from hair dyes. It also includes a link to an on-line tool with data on specific personal care products.

On November 28, 2025, the US Food & Drug Administration announced that it would withdraw its proposed rule to require the testing of asbestos in talc-containing products. An article by Audrey Noble in Vogue provides a valuable perspective on the issue. The article provides a link to an app from Environmental Working Group designed to help consumers make informed choices when purchasing cosmetics.

Tessie McMillan Cottom, University of North Carolina professor and frequent New York Times opinion writer, contributed a recent piece about beauty products and the MAHA movement. She noted how “almost any attractive person can hawk a wellness product as clean or natural, as if to suggest that organic products with shorter ingredient lists are inherently virtuous. But the notion that clean and natural are undeniably safe is wrong. . . It is far easier to call a beauty product clean than it is to prove, via science, that a product is safe and effective.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/opinion/maha-clean-beauty-health-wellness.html?searchResultPosition=1https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/opinion/maha-clean-beauty-health-wellness.html?searchResultPosition=1

“A search for chemicals that could inadvertently activate parts of the brain responsible for reproductive functions has identified compounds many of us may encounter in our environment, highlighting a potential trigger for early puberty in women.”

https://www.sciencealert.com/fragrance-in-care-products-could-be-triggering-early-puberty-in-girls

An article published in August 2024 reported the first study to measure toxic metals in tampons. Arsenic and lead, among other contaminants, were found in 24 tampon brands purchased in the US, UK, and Europe.