The rush for every product under the sun to label itself as natural and organic has been a huge marketing boom, particularly to lovely smelling ingredients such as lavender. But new evidence suggests that the effects are not unilateral. Case studies recently reported in New England Journal of Medicine have linked lavender and tea tree oil with breast growth in three young boys. Researchers theorized that chemicals in the ingredients were disruptive to the endocrine system. The boys went back to normal after they stopped using products with the ingredients.
However, the small study points to a much larger issue: how are cosmetic additives, both synthetic and natural, affecting our hormones? A recent story in the New York Times focused on phthalates, a chemical compound used to make vinyl and also found in many cosmetics. In some forms the compound is highly hormonally reactive, causing infertility in men. Data has been too inconclusive to categorically regulate the chemicals, according to the FDA, however consumer groups are pushing for more lab tests on cosmetic products. (CN)
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