Guidance for living well,
not perfectly.

PFAS — the "forever chemicals" — have been detected in waterproof mascara, long-wear foundation, and lipstick. They're added for smoothness, water resistance, and that just-out-of-the-tube glide that lasts twelve hours. They don't break down in your body, and they don't break down in the water supply. The fix is small but specific: look for products that explicitly state "PFAS-free," because U.S. labels almost never spell out PFAS by name.

Most flavored lip glosses marketed to tweens contain phthalates, synthetic fragrance, petroleum derivatives, and artificial dyes that get ingested in small amounts every time they're reapplied. Clean lip glosses use food-grade ingredients, mineral pigments, and disclosed flavor sources. The category isn't regulated by the FDA for what counts as "for kids," so the back of the tube does the work the front of the tube won't.

The five most common endocrine-disrupting chemicals in U.S. personal care are parabens, phthalates, oxybenzone, triclosan, and synthetic fragrance. Each can interfere with how the body’s hormones signal — estrogen, thyroid, and androgen pathways most often — and most are still legal in conventional skincare, deodorant, sunscreen, and perfume. The fastest way to clear them out of your routine is to inventory the five products you use every morning, in order: cleanser, deodorant, lotion, sunscreen, and perfume.

Most products marketed to tweens at Sephora contain actives like retinol, niacinamide, and AHAs that are formulated for adult skin and can damage a developing barrier. The right tween routine is three products: a gentle cleanser, a barrier moisturizer, and a mineral SPF. Anything beyond that is being sold to your daughter, not designed for her — and the fastest way to know what’s appropriate is to look at the active ingredient and ask whether it’s age-appropriate before it goes in the cart.

On a skincare label, the word “fragrance” — or its alias “parfum” — is a legal catch-all that can hide more than 3,000 undisclosed ingredients. U.S. and EU regulations let brands list every component of a scent under that one word, which means the compounds linked to hormone disruption, asthma, and skin sensitization rarely have to appear by name. The fastest way to find out what your products actually contain is to flip a bottle over and check the ninth ingredient.