Research links precocious puberty to chemical used in personal care products

A study, published by the Endocrine Society, showed that precocious puberty may be linked to a chemical used in personal care products: musk ambrette.

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences identified a compound - present in a wide variety of products such as cosmetics, air fresheners, perfumes and soaps - that affects an area of the brain that triggers hormone production.

This would be the first study of its kind to try to explain the rise of early puberty. The study also noted that early puberty is associated with an increased risk of psychosocial problems, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

Meanwhile, Natalie Shaw, a pediatric endocrinologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Durham, North Carolina, and an author of the study, explained that musk ambrette is widely used in cheap or counterfeit fragrances and other scented personal care products.

Shaw noted, in remarks to NBC, that until more is known, parents who want to prevent precocious puberty should check the ingredient lists of any cosmetics, fragrances or household products their children may use.

Early puberty is an issue of concern because of the ever-shrinking age at which girls develop. Another study published in May 2024 in JAMA analyzed more than 70,000 girls born between 1950 and 2005 and explained that the average age at which girls got their first period has decreased and that, on average, periods take longer to become regular.

In that sense the analysis detailed that as the year of birth increased, the average age of puberty decreased and the time to regularity increased. It further detailed that these trends were more pronounced among those who were non-Hispanic black, Asian, or of other or multiple races (compared with non-Hispanic white individuals) and among groups of low socioeconomic status.