BHA & BHTUpdated 2 months ago

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)

A preservative often used as an antioxidant in cosmetic products, especially lipstick and eyeshadow. The U.S. National Toxicology Program, a part of the National Institutes of Health, has classified BHA as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" based on evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. BHA has been added as a carcinogen to the California EPA’s Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity. Moreover, studies show that BHA exhibits some endocrine-disrupting effects, and the European Union has listed it as an endocrine disruptor.

Sources:

https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/butylatedhydroxyanisole.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462476/
https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/proposition-65/p65122917_0.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/endocrine/strategy/substances_en.htm

BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)

A toluene-based ingredient used as a preservative in food and personal care products. There is a lot of controversy surrounding BHT because of its suspected potential endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic effects.