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Ingredients › Phthalates

Baby skincare · 0–36 months

Are phthalates safe for babies?

Phthalates in baby products

Phthalates are a family of chemicals used to make plastics soft and to carry fragrance. Several — DBP, DEHP, BBP — are banned in EU skincare. Pikabee flags any phthalate it can read on a baby skincare label.

What Pikabee flags, by age

0–6 monthsRED FLAG

Flagged, any phthalate named on the label.

6–12 monthsRED FLAG

Flagged, any phthalate.

12–36 monthsRED FLAG

Flagged, any phthalate.

What it is

In skincare, phthalates are mostly used as solvents for fragrance, so they are often inside “fragrance” or “parfum” without being named. When a phthalate is named on the list, it is usually diethyl phthalate (DEP).

The concern with several phthalates is hormone disruption. The EU classifies DBP, DEHP and BBP as reproductive hazards, which places them on the list of substances banned in skincare.

Names it goes by on labels

Why Pikabee flags it

The EU Cosmetics Regulation lists DBP, DEHP, BBP and several other phthalates in Annex II, the substances banned in skincare, because of their effects on hormones and reproduction. DEP is not banned, but Pikabee flags every named phthalate on a baby product, because the group shares the same concern and a baby's exposure is what matters.

Questions parents ask

Are phthalates safe for a baby under 6 months?

Flagged, any phthalate named on the label. The EU Cosmetics Regulation lists DBP, DEHP, BBP and several other phthalates in Annex II, the substances banned in skincare, because of their effects on hormones and reproduction.

Are phthalates safe for a 6 to 12 month old baby?

Flagged, any phthalate. The EU Cosmetics Regulation lists DBP, DEHP, BBP and several other phthalates in Annex II, the substances banned in skincare, because of their effects on hormones and reproduction.

Are phthalates safe for a 1 to 3 year old?

Flagged, any phthalate. The EU Cosmetics Regulation lists DBP, DEHP, BBP and several other phthalates in Annex II, the substances banned in skincare, because of their effects on hormones and reproduction.

Why don't I see phthalates on the label?

They are often part of “fragrance” or “parfum”, which does not have to list its contents. That is one reason Pikabee shows YELLOW for undisclosed fragrance.

Is diethyl phthalate (DEP) banned?

Not in the EU; DBP, DEHP and BBP are. Pikabee flags DEP on baby products anyway, along with every other named phthalate.

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Sources

  1. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (EU Cosmetics Regulation).

Last reviewed 6 November 2026.

Related ingredients

Talk to your pediatrician about anything concerning.