Women of Color Are More Exposed to Phthalates in Household Items

Experts are calling for stricter regulation of these endocrine disruptors

If you’ve ever explored the world of so-called clean beauty products, you’ve probably heard about phthalates, a family of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These “plasticizing” agents were historically added to nail polish to prevent cracking and to hairspray to add flexibility, but now they’re in a variety of personal care products — shampoo, perfume, sanitary pads, and so on — as well as household…