Diethyl Phthalate (DEP)
Also: DEP · phthalic acid diethyl ester · diethyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate
Avoid — the most common fragrance phthalate and a near-universal exposure for women through scented personal-care products.
Fertility & hormonal impact
DEP is the phthalate most commonly used in fragranced personal-care products, and its metabolite (MEP) is detected in the urine of nearly all women — making it one of the most widespread everyday phthalate exposures. As a phthalate it shares the family's endocrine-disrupting profile and contributes to total phthalate body burden, which in women's fertility cohorts has been associated with diminished ovarian reserve and poorer assisted-reproduction outcomes. DEP's own human reproductive evidence is weaker than that for DEHP or DBP, but because it is applied daily through perfume, lotion, and other scented products, cumulative exposure during the preconception window is a realistic concern.
Found in.
Two jurisdictions, two different verdicts.
Not currently restricted in cosmetics but flagged as an endocrine disruptor of concern under the EU ED strategy and under SVHC assessment.
No restriction in cosmetics. CDC NHANES biomonitoring data show widespread population exposure.
The receipts.
- [01]Weaver et al. 2020 — DEP exposure toxicology systematic review (PubMed)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32958228/
- [02]ATSDR — Diethyl phthalate toxic substance portalwwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/substances/ToxSubstance.aspx?toxid=112
- [03]CDC — National Exposure Report biomonitoring datawww.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/resources/national-exposure-report.html
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