Use Patterns of Leave-on Personal Care Products among Swiss-German Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Eva Manová, Natalie Von Goetz, Carmen Keller, Michael Siegrist and Konrad Hungerbühler
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Eva Manová: Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Natalie Von Goetz: Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Carmen Keller: Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Michael Siegrist: Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Konrad Hungerbühler: Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2013, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: In order to model exposure to ingredients contained in personal care products (PCPs) and assess their potential risks to human health, access to reliable PCP use data, including co-use patterns, is essential. A postal questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the use patterns of eight leave-on PCP categories among the German-speaking population of Switzerland (N = 1,196; ages 0–97 years), providing for the first time in Europe PCP use data for children <12 years of age. The majority of respondents (99%) reported having used at least one of the investigated PCP categories in the past year. Co-use of two or more PCP categories at the same time was common and more complex amongst adults. Regular use of face cream and body lotion was very high in the youngest group of children aged 0–4 years (more than 79% respondents) who may be more vulnerable to certain adverse effects of some PCP ingredients. A comparison with previously collected information on PCP use patterns in Germany and the Netherlands indicates differences in PCP use patterns among European consumers and suggests that surrogate PCP use data from other countries must be used with caution. This work extends the existing knowledge of PCP use patterns and will be useful for new exposure assessments for ingredients contained in PCPs used by the young consumers.

Keywords: personal care products; use prevalence; use frequency; co-use; children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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