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Personal care products—fragrances, cosmetics, and sunscreens—in the environment

Abstract:

In modern society, people use various kinds of personal care products for quality of life in daily life. Personal care products (PCPs) are widely used by people of all ages. The products such as deodorants, facial moisturizers, or creams are used on a daily basis. Cosmetic products contain a wide range of chemicals to which we exposed every day. Over the past 50years, the increase in cosmetic use has a direct link with the increase in endocrine disorders such as breast, prostate, and testicular cancers; diabetes; obesity; and reproductive problems. Considerable amounts of PCPs are utilized each day, resulting in large quantities of chemical substances that could potentially reach environmental compartments, particularly water, and also soil and air. After the use of PCPs, a significant amount of these products goes down the drain and enters the “wastewater-sewage plant-receiving water” route. As a result, they may ultimately end up in the aquatic environment. This is not only true for typical rinse-off products such as shampoos, shower gels, and toothpastes but also for leave-on products such as hair care products and makeup. Cosmetics pose the most pressing ecological problems compared to pharmaceuticals because they are used in larger quantities and throughout the course of life and, being intended for external application, are not subjected to metabolic transformation; therefore, they are introduced unaltered into the environment in large amounts during washing, showering, or bathing. Since relatively little is known about the fate and the toxicity of PCPs released into the environment, increasing attention is being placed on their occurrence, persistence, and potential threat to ecosystems and human health.