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Personal Care Products and Incident Hypertension: Prospective Cohort Study of U.S. Women

Jungeun Lim1, Che-Jung Chang2, Alexandra White2

  • 1Epidemiology and Community Health Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|June 4, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Frequent use of personal care products (PCPs) is linked to higher hypertension risk in women. This study suggests everyday chemicals in PCPs may be modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Cardiovascular Epidemiology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Hypertension affects over half of U.S. women, representing a significant cardiovascular disease risk factor.
  • Personal care products (PCPs) contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may influence blood pressure regulation.
  • The association between PCP usage patterns and hypertension incidence remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between personal care product (PCP) usage patterns and the development of incident hypertension in a large cohort of U.S. women.
  • To identify specific types of PCPs associated with increased hypertension risk.
  • To explore potential modifiable risk factors for hypertension within consumer product usage.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of U.S. women (Sister Study) with follow-up through September 30, 2021.
  • Self-reported usage frequency of 41 PCPs in the 12 months prior to baseline.
  • Latent class analysis to define PCP use patterns (infrequent, moderate, frequent); multivariable Cox regression to assess hypertension risk.

Main Results:

  • Over 11 years of follow-up, 10,099 women developed hypertension.
  • Frequent overall PCP use was associated with a statistically significant increase in hypertension risk (HR=1.08).
  • Increased hypertension risk was observed with frequent use of beauty products and moderate to frequent use of hygiene products.

Conclusions:

  • Frequent use of personal care products, particularly beauty and hygiene items, is associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension.
  • Everyday chemicals in consumer products may act as modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular health.
  • Further research is needed to identify specific harmful components within commonly used personal care products.
Abstract

Keywords:
Blood pressureEndocrine disrupting chemicalsHypertensionPersonal care products

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