Most Children Exposed to Makeup, Body Products for Play

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Seven in 10 children use children’s makeup and body products (e.g., lip gloss, glitter, face paint), according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Eleanor A. Medley, from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues surveyed parents/guardians of children aged 12 years and younger about the use of children’s makeup and body products. The analysis included 207 responses (312 children).

The researchers found that 70 percent of children have used these products in their lifetime. Use was higher among older children versus younger children and among girls versus boys. Furthermore, compared with children of non-Hispanic parents/guardians, children of Hispanic parents/guardians used children’s makeup and body products more often and for shorter durations, and a greater proportion used lip, hair, and fragrance products. Roughly half the children who used children’s makeup and body products did so for play intentions.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to adverse health risks associated with chemicals often found in makeup and body products,” a coauthor said in a statement. “In addition to dermal exposure through the skin, behavioral patterns such as hand-to-mouth activity may increase exposure to products through unintentional ingestion. Additionally, children’s small body size, rapid growth rate, developing tissues and organs, and immature immune systems make them biologically susceptible to the effects of toxicants.”

Abstract/Full Text