Early puberty may be linked to a common chemical used in personal care products

The age when girls hit puberty has been falling at an alarming rate for decades. the average age of starting puberty for girls has decreased by about three months each decade from 1977 to 2013. Today, Approximately 15.5% of girls are reported to hit puberty really young- before age 11.

Starting puberty early — particularly really young cases ie: younger than age 8 in girls, 9 in boys — may have health effects lasting into adulthood, including higher risks of breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

While many scientist have long suspected the role of endocrine disrupting chemicals ( chemical that directly mimic our hormones. These include long list of chemicals you might already know about, including bisphenol, phthalates, PFAS, fragrance chemicals and so many more), New research now suggests a compound found in a wide variety of fragrance products  — from cosmetics to air fresheners to detergents and soaps — may send a signal to an area of the brain that triggers the start of puberty. 

Musk ambrette ( 2,4-dinitro-3-methyl-6-tert-butylanisole) a synthetic form of the fragrance, could latch onto a puberty-related receptor in the hypothalamus, which would lead to the release of GnRH, a hormone involved in the maturation of sexual organs and the production of estrogen, testosterone and progesterone.

According to @environmentalworkinggroup, “musk ambrette is a synthetic fragrance … that  penetrates the skin more readily than other nitromusks (Hawkins 2002), which could result in higher levels of exposure to other vital systems.” It also bioaccumulates in people, meaning our bodies do not easily detox from it.

Musk ambrette has been banned from use in personal care products by the European Union (SSNC 2000).

According to the Environmental Working Group, it is “no longer in use in the US due to skin allergy and neurotoxicity concerns”… however researchers for this large study say its still very often found inncommon everyday products.  In the United States, all musk chemicals are unregulated, and safe levels of exposure have not yet been set, which might explain why the answer is not as clear as one would like

While more research js necessary its clear that synthetic fragrance chemicals are linked to endocrine disruption and should be  avoided … for everyone but especially for children and during pregnancy.

Products that are thought to contain musk ambrette

• Detergents

• Soaps

• Air fresheners

• Cleaning products

• Perfumes, especially inexpensive or counterfeit fragrances

• Essential oils

• Cosmetics and other scented personal care products, like shampoos, deodorant and body wash

• Spices

• Some foods

Remember: the ingredient labels of these products might not specify “ musk ambrette” because ingredients in fragrances are often considered trade secrets and not required to be disclosed. Generally avoid products that contain “ fragrance” “perfum”