Mariah Blake

I'm J.Q.

Back with more Explain It to Me.

I'm Mariah Blake, and I'm an investigative journalist.

I've spent the last decade reporting on toxic chemicals.

There are a number of chemicals that are commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products that are known to be harmful.

Formaldehyde, phthalates, parabens, and what are commonly known as forever chemicals.

The technical term for them is PFAS.

So these are substances that are commonly found in cosmetics.

Why are those chemicals in there?

So they're used for various reasons in cosmetics.

So some of them are preservatives.

Some of them make them go on your skin more smoothly.

In the case of Forever Chemicals or PFAS, they're often used because they make cosmetics stay on longer.

So that waterproof mascara, that...

Foundation that stays on all day.

Most of those products contain PFAS.

That is the reason that they stay on your skin so long.

And even, for example, dental floss, glide dental floss, dental floss that goes through your teeth super smoothly, that's because it has these chemicals in it.

Dental floss?

Dental floss.