TOPLINE

Teens who followed social media influencers with product lines or watched beauty tutorials used substantially more personal care products (PCPs), with few routinely reading ingredient labels or using healthy product apps or websites when selecting PCPs, a pilot study showed.

METHODOLOGY

• PCPs expose people to a range of chemicals in daily life. Although research has explored how adults use and select these products, far less is known about their use during adolescence, a developmentally sensitive period.
• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional pilot study among high school students recruited from a New Jersey high school and Rutgers University summer academic programs to evaluate PCP use in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, precautionary behaviors, and social media engagement.
• Data were collected through an online survey covering sociodemographic factors; frequency and types of PCP use within the previous 24 hours and general use habits; precautionary behaviors, such as reading labels or using healthy product apps; and social media habits, including platforms used, time spent, and influencer engagement. Participants were also asked to upload photos of PCPs used in the previous 24 hours.
• The 143 participants (mean age, 16.1 years) included 93 girls and 44 boys across all high school grades (9th: 13.3%; 10th: 19.6%; 11th: 31.5%; 12th: 35.7%). For each participant, researchers tallied the total number of products used overall and by product type, including skin care, cosmetics, hair care, fragrances, and oral care.

TAKEAWAY

• Girls used twice as many PCPs as boys in the previous 24 hours (median, 14 vs 7 products; P < .000001).
• Among 139 students, 41% reported avoiding products containing certain chemicals, and 34% said that they always or usually looked for natural, nontoxic, or eco-friendly ingredients; however, only 19% routinely read ingredient labels, and just 5% used healthy product apps or websites when choosing PCPs.
• Following influencers with product lines was associated with 30% greater use of PCPs in the previous 24 hours, whereas watching hair or beauty tutorials was associated with 40% greater use.
• Students who always looked for natural, nontoxic, or eco-friendly ingredients used 38% fewer products, with a stronger association among girls (incidence rate ratio, 0.53).

IN PRACTICE

“Our robust findings suggest that influences of social media on environmental health (particularly in the context of consumer goods) is an area in urgent need of more research in adolescents as well as adults. Importantly, the focus on social media emerged from our collaboration with high school students who highlighted its important role in their lives, reinforcing the value of community-engaged projects that build on the life experience of the participants,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Emily S. Barrett, Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey. It was published online in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

LIMITATIONS

The study had a relatively small sample size and was conducted in a limited geographic area, with most participants recruited from a single high school. As a convenience sample, students’ greater interest in PCPs may have been more likely to participate, potentially inflating estimates of product use and social media engagement. The cross-sectional design prevented the establishment of causality.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.