That is where this conversation usually starts. But it does not end there. Parabens have been found in human breast tissue. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are still common in shampoos and lotions. Some sunscreen filters show up in the blood days after one application. And the word "natural" on a label protects you from none of it.
I am Betty, founder of Sanbe Beauty. I started this brand after my own health scare forced me to look honestly at what I was putting on my skin and in my body. I am not writing this to frighten you. I am writing it because when I finally understood what was in my products, I could not go back to ignoring it, and I do not think you should have to either.
This is not a surface-level "dirty dozen" list. This is a real breakdown of what these ingredients are, what the research says, and how to build a system for navigating labels on your own.
The "Fragrance" Loophole and Why It Matters More Than You Think
Here is something most people do not know. Under U.S. law (21 CFR 701.3), cosmetic manufacturers are not required to disclose the individual chemicals that make up a fragrance blend. The entire mixture can be listed as a single word: "fragrance" or "parfum." This is not an oversight. It is a legal trade-secret exemption that has been in place since 1966 and was codified into FDA regulation in 1973.
The International Fragrance Association publishes a transparency list of ingredients used across the global fragrance industry. The most recent version contains nearly 4,000 individual chemicals. Any number of them can be present in your "fragrance" ingredient without appearing on the label.
This matters because fragrance is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetics. A 2020 review in Dermatologic Clinics found that fragrance allergy affects between 0.7% & 2.6% of the general population and as high as 5 to 11% in patch-test populations. [1] The sensitizers showing up most frequently in recent years are not exotic synthetics. They are compounds from natural sources: hydroperoxides of limonene (from citrus peel) and linalool (from lavender, among others).
This is where the "natural fragrance" conversation gets important.
Natural Fragrance Is Not the Same as Safe
A label that says "natural fragrance," "essential oil blend," or "parfum (natural)" is using the exact same legal exemption. Those words do not require individual ingredient disclosure any more than "fragrance" does. The chemicals hiding underneath can include linalool, limonene, geraniol, eugenol, citral, coumarin, and cinnamal, all of which are naturally occurring aromatic compounds and all of which are recognized sensitizers at certain concentrations.
A 2021 study in Contact Dermatitis analyzed 2,292 patients with facial contact dermatitis. The most common cosmetic-related allergens were fragrances and preservatives, and the most frequently identified natural-source sensitizers were hydroperoxides of limonene and linalool. [2] These are the same compounds found in many essential oil blends marketed as "clean" or "natural" alternatives to synthetic fragrance.
The European Union has recognized this. The EU Cosmetics Regulation now requires 26 fragrance allergens to be individually declared on labels when present above threshold concentrations, with an expanded list of 80 or more allergens being phased in through 2026. In the United States, no such requirement exists.
At Sanbe, we do not use synthetic fragrance or fragrance blends of any kind. Where essential oils are present, we formulate to EU cosmetic regulations on fragrance allergen limits, which set specific maximum concentrations depending on the essential oil and whether the product is leave-on or rinse-off. This is a stricter standard than anything U.S. law requires, and it means that every aromatic ingredient in a Sanbe product is named individually on the label at a concentration we have deliberately chosen with safety in mind.
Parabens: What the Research Actually Says
Parabens are a family of preservatives that have been used in cosmetics since the 1950s. You will find them listed as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and isobutylparaben. They are effective, inexpensive, and still present in a large share of conventional skincare, haircare, and body care products.
Parabens are weak estrogen mimics that can bind to estrogen receptors in the body. Research found that concentrations present in human breast tissue were sufficient to induce growth-like behavior in non-cancerous breast cells, and increased the migratory activity of breast cancer cells. [3][4]
It is worth noting that the debate in dermatology is not fully settled. Some researchers argue that the concentrations used in lab studies exceed realistic skin-absorption levels, and that paraben-replacement preservatives have caused their own wave of allergic contact reactions. The question of what to use instead of parabens is legitimate.
That said, the precautionary case for avoiding them is solid, particularly propylparaben, which carries an EWG Skin Deep hazard score of 9 out of 10 and faces restrictions in the EU due to its stronger estrogenic activity relative to its shorter-chain relatives.
The EWG Skin Deep ratings for the paraben family:
- methylparaben: 3 to 4
- propylparaben: 9
Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
Formaldehyde itself rates a 10 on the EWG hazard scale and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 known human carcinogen. It is not commonly added to cosmetics directly. What is common are preservatives that slowly release formaldehyde over time as they break down. These include DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, and bronopol.
A 2019 study in Dermatitis found that 8.6% of U.S. personal-care products tested positive for formaldehyde release. None of them had a formaldehyde-releaser declared on the label. [5] A 2021 study in Contact Dermatitis confirmed that among patients with confirmed formaldehyde allergy, 80% also reacted to at least one formaldehyde-releasing preservative. DMDM hydantoin and quaternium-15 were the most consistently cross-reactive. [6]
DMDM hydantoin carries an EWG score of 6. It appears frequently in shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and leave-in hair products. If you see it in a product you use daily on a large surface area of your body, that is where I would focus first.
Phthalates and the Endocrine Disruption Problem
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics flexible and to help fragrance compounds adhere to skin and hair. In cosmetics, they appear most often listed as dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or diethyl phthalate (DEP), though they can also enter products through undisclosed fragrance ingredients.
Phthalates in cosmetics have been linked to gestational complications, impaired fetal growth, endometriosis, PCOS, and infertility. [7][8] The CDC has detected them in the urine of nearly every American tested. [9]
EWG rates DBP and DEHP (two common phthalates) at 7 to 10 on the hazard scale.
Oxybenzone and Chemical Sunscreen Filters
Oxybenzone is a UV filter found in many conventional chemical sunscreens. The CDC detected it in the urine of roughly 97% of Americans tested.
EWG rates oxybenzone at 4, down from its previous high score of 8, following a methodology update. The concern about systemic absorption and potential hormonal activity remains, and oxybenzone is now banned from sunscreens sold in Hawaii and several other jurisdictions to protect coral.
Mineral sunscreens using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are the commonly recommended alternatives for those avoiding chemical filters.
Heavy Metals in Cosmetics
Heavy metals are among the toxic ingredients in skincare most people never think to check for. A 2019 study in Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology confirmed lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury in both authorized and unauthorized cosmetics, with arsenic frequently exceeding safety thresholds in lipsticks, eye shadows, and mascara. [10]
These are not intentional additions in most cases. They enter as contaminants in raw ingredient sourcing, particularly in mineral colorants. This is one reason that third-party batch testing and supply-chain transparency matter, not just what is on the label.
If You Are in Perimenopause or Menopause, This Hits Differently
Skin in perimenopause and menopause is already working with less. Estrogen decline reduces sebum production and lowers the skin's natural hyaluronic acid content, which means the barrier is thinner, drier, and more reactive than it was in your 30s.
When the barrier is compromised, everything penetrates more easily. Fragrance sensitizers, formaldehyde releasers, and endocrine disruptors like parabens and phthalates all have a more direct path into systemic circulation. If your skin has become more reactive since your hormones started shifting, your ingredient list is the first place to look.
This is exactly why Sanbe formulas are built without synthetic fragrance of any kind, without parabens, and without formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. The Skin Relief Cream is specifically designed for dry, reactive, and stressed skin, with soothing plant extracts and no ingredients that add burden to a skin barrier that is already managing a lot. The Chamomile Niacinamide Toner only has German Chamomile Essential Oil as its scent, which is calming, and built around ingredients that support the look of balanced, even-toned skin without sensitizing the barrier further.
How to Read a Label and Avoid Toxic Ingredients in Skincare
"Free from parabens." "Natural." "Clean." "Non-toxic." None of these phrases have a legal definition in U.S. cosmetics. Any brand can use them, regardless of what is actually in the formula. This is greenwashing: using the language of clean beauty without the ingredient transparency to back it up.
Here is a working system for reading any label with confidence.
Look at the full ingredient list, not the front of the label. The front is marketing. The ingredient list (INCI format, required by the FDA) is the only place that tells you what is actually in the product.
Search ingredients you do not recognize before you buy. The EWG Skin Deep database is a free tool. Type in any ingredient name and you will see its hazard rating, what the concerns are, and what the research says. It takes two minutes.
Watch for the umbrella words. "Fragrance," "parfum," "aroma," "natural fragrance," and "flavor" are all legal ways to hide undisclosed ingredients. If a brand genuinely uses no fragrance, they should be able to tell you that directly, as we do at Sanbe.
Check for formaldehyde releasers by name. DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, and bronopol are the most common. They do not say "formaldehyde" anywhere on the label.
"Free from" lists are marketing, not verification. A product can be paraben-free and still contain phthalates, oxybenzone, and fragrance. Look at the full list, not at what a brand chose to highlight.
This post on what "clean" and "green" beauty actually mean covers how these terms are used and misused in the industry. It is a useful companion read to this one.
You do not have to become an ingredient expert overnight. Start with one product, usually the one you use most often on the largest area of your skin. Check it in Skin Deep. Go from there.
Unlock the secret to your healthiest, most radiant skin ever!
If you are ready to start with a routine that has none of this in it, take the Sanbe skin quiz and I will point you to the products that match your skin's actual needs right now.
Sources
- Reeder MJ | Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Fragrances — Dermatologic Clinics, 2020
- Bruusgaard-Mouritsen MA, Garvey LH, Johansen JD | Facial contact dermatitis caused by cosmetic-relevant allergens — Contact Dermatitis, 2021
- Khanna S, Darbre PD | Parabens enable suspension growth of MCF-10A immortalized, non-transformed human breast epithelial cells — Journal of Applied Toxicology, 2013
- Khanna S, Dash PR, Darbre PD | Exposure to parabens at the concentration of maximal proliferative response increases migratory and invasive activity of human breast cancer cells in vitro — Journal of Applied Toxicology, 2014
- Nikle A, Ericson M, Warshaw E | Formaldehyde Release From Personal Care Products: Chromotropic Acid Method Analysis — Dermatitis, 2019
- Aalto-Korte K, Pesonen M | Patterns of positive patch test reactions to formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health from 2007 to 2020 — Contact Dermatitis, 2021
- Almeida-Toledano L et al | Effect of prenatal phthalate exposure on fetal development and maternal/neonatal health consequences: A systematic review — Science of the Total Environment, 2024
- Hassan S et al | Endocrine disruptors: Unravelling the link between chemical exposure and women's reproductive health — Environmental Research, 2023
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences | Endocrine Disruptors
- Saadatzadeh A et al | Determination of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury) in authorized and unauthorized cosmetics — Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2019
