An article on healthychild.org (found here) lays out some pretty scary results of a study done by University of California- Berkeley, quoted below.

After three days, the teens’ urine tests showed these decreases in the concentrations of the cosmetics ingredients under study:

44 percent down in levels of methyl and propyl paraben. Parabens are preservatives widely used in cosmetics, shampoos and skin lotions.
35 percent down in triclosan, an antibacterial chemical common in liquid antibacterial hand soap, dishwashing detergent, toothpaste, face wash and deodorant. Triclosan has been linked to the disruption of thyroid and reproductive hormones.
27 percent down in mono-ethyl phthalates. Phthalates, common industrial plasticizers, show up in some nail polish and fragrances.

In an article on kidsvt.com, Dr, Louis First explains “If you look back to the early 1900s, girls got their first period at an average age of 16. In the past 25 years, puberty has decreased to younger than 13 for girls and happens anywhere from six months to two years earlier than in the past for boys, depending on what study you read. Two factors that have changed in that time period, and may be playing a role in the onset of precocious puberty, are diet — leading to increased obesity in children — and environmental stress. While we can’t prove cause and effect, obesity can prompt increased estrogen production. Sixty percent of girls who experience precocious puberty are overweight. Environmental stressors such as poverty, food insecurity, substance abuse, neglect, and physical or sexual abuse may stress the brain and cause it to release hormones earlier, triggering puberty. Studies also implicate pesticides, phthalates, PCBs and other compounds in the environment that are considered “endocrine disruptors” as contributing to the increased prevalence of precocious puberty, especially in girls.”

Rawstory.com further explains- “While meat and obesity have been around for a long time, endocrine-disrupting toxins found in everyday products like hand soap, shampoos, cosmetics, cleaning products and of course plastics have not. From carpets, couches and food containers to thermal receipts given at gas stations, chemicals that mimic estrogen and change our hormonal balance are now everywhere.” noting as well that “Sixteen percent of U.S. girls experiencing breast development by the age of 7? Thirty percent by the age of 8? Clearly something is affecting the hormones of U.S. girls—a phenomenon also seen in other developed countries. Girls in poorer countries seem to be spared—until they move to developed countries.”

This is serious stuff. Precocious puberty is not a little thing. It can lead to depression, bullying, increased cancer rates, and obesity. If products can be made without endocrine disruptors, and companies like Beautycounter show that they can, why are we still exposing our girls to these harmful compounds?

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