Study Finds 98% of Personal Care Products Contain Unlabeled Chemicals

A new study reveals that the vast majority of personal care and household cleaning products contain chemicals not listed on their labels, with many of those undisclosed substances posing potential health risks. The research, published on August 11, 2026, in the journal Environmental Health, found that 98 percent of the 113 products tested had at least one unlabeled chemical, and 85 percent contained at least one unlabeled compound with known or suspected health hazards.

Scientists at the Million Marker Research Institute analyzed products from major retailers including Target, Amazon, Walmart, and Dollar Tree. The items spanned 12 categories such as shampoo, sunscreen, baby lotion, hand soap, and laundry detergent. Using a laboratory technique called nontargeted chemical analysis, which screens for thousands of compounds without a predefined list, researchers detected an average of 51 chemicals per product. In contrast, the average product label listed only 16 ingredients.

The undisclosed chemicals included endocrine-disrupting compounds like phthalates and parabens, fragrance chemicals, silicone contaminants, and the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Previous...