Researchers Found 3X More Chemicals In Products Than Their Labels Listed

I consider myself a pretty diligent label reader. I check ingredient lists on food, skincare, cleaning products, and just about anything else I use regularly. And like a lot of health-conscious people, I tend to feel better choosing something labeled “phthalate-free,” “fragrance-free,” or “non-toxic.”

After all, if you're making the effort to avoid a certain ingredient, reading the label seems like the obvious place to start.

But personal care products are complicated mixtures, and what makes it onto an ingredient list may not tell you everything that's actually inside the bottle. Chemicals can enter a product through raw materials, manufacturing equipment, storage, packaging, or even reactions between ingredients.

A new study1 puts some pretty eye-opening numbers behind just how big that gap can be.

Researchers tested what was actually inside 113 everyday products

For the study, researchers analyzed 113 personal care and cleaning products across 12 categories, including sunscreen, shampoo, soap, baby lotion, and other products many of us use every day.

Instead of searching only for a predetermined list of chemicals, they used a method called nontargeted analysis, which essentially allows researchers to cast a much wider net for chemicals they may not have known to look for in the first place.

Across the products, researchers detected 3,141 chemical signals and identified 303 compounds with varying levels of confidence. The average product listed just 16 ingredients on its label. Testing detected an average of 51 chemicals.

And 98% of the products contained at least one chemical that wasn't disclosed on the label.

85% contained an unlabeled chemical with a potential health hazard

This is where the findings become more concerning. Researchers found that 85% of products contained at least one unlabeled chemical with a known or suspected health hazard.

Those included chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, fragrance-related compounds, BHT, and siloxanes. Some chemicals within these broader categories have been linked in previous research to endocrine disruption, reproductive or developmental toxicity, allergies, metabolic problems, and cancer.

There's an important distinction here, though. Finding a chemical with a known hazard doesn't tell us that using a particular product will cause a health problem. As the researchers point out, their analysis didn't account for dose, route of exposure, or bioavailability, all of which matter when determining actual risk.

Still, considering how many personal care and household products we use repeatedly over years, knowing what's actually in them matters.

Even some “phthalate-free” & “hypoallergenic” products didn't match their labels

Perhaps the finding that caught my attention most was that 26% of products contained chemicals that directly contradicted a claim made on the label or company website.

Researchers found phthalates in some products marketed as phthalate-free, synthetic chemicals in products labeled “100% natural,” and allergens or sensitizers in some products marketed as hypoallergenic.

That doesn't necessarily mean a company knowingly put a phthalate into a product and then claimed otherwise. The researchers suspect many of these chemicals entered unintentionally through contaminated ingredients, manufacturing, storage, or packaging. One of the phthalates detected, for example, can leach from plastic packaging.

It's also worth noting that the products were purchased in 2021, when pandemic-related supply chain disruptions may have affected sourcing and manufacturing, so the findings shouldn't automatically be assumed to represent every product currently on shelves.

So, what can you actually do about it?

I don't think this study is a reason to panic about everything sitting in your bathroom cabinet. We come into contact with chemicals every day, and simply detecting one in a product doesn't mean that product is harming your health. But it is a good reminder that reducing exposure where it's easy and realistic can add up over time.

Reading ingredient lists is still worthwhile, even if they can't tell you everything that made its way into the finished product. When you have the option, choose simpler formulas with fewer ingredients, skip fragrances, and look for companies that test their finished products through independent labs.

You can also think about exposure based on how you actually use a product. A body lotion you apply from head to toe every morning, a deodorant you wear daily, or a cleaning spray you breathe in regularly may be more worthwhile to scrutinize than something you use once every few months. For household products, opening a window while cleaning, using fewer fragranced sprays and air fresheners, and choosing simpler cleaning products are all relatively low-effort ways to cut back.

And I wouldn't try to replace everything at once. As products run out, you can slowly swap the ones you use most often for options with greater ingredient transparency or independent finished-product testing. You may not be able to eliminate every exposure, especially when some contaminants aren't even disclosed on the label, but you can be more intentional about the exposures you can control.

The takeaway

If you're already someone who reads labels and tries to choose cleaner products, this research can feel a little frustrating. You can do everything "right" and still be exposed to ingredients you were specifically trying to avoid.

That doesn't make those efforts pointless. It just means there's a limit to how much responsibility we can put on ourselves as consumers. We can choose simpler products, reduce unnecessary exposures, and pay attention to what we use most often. But greater transparency and better testing have to be part of the equation, too.