Plastics, Forever Chemicals, and Skin Health: What We Know—and What We’re Still Learning

Nadia Sundlass, MD, PhD, FAAD, a Dermatologist in Pittsburgh, PA, sorts through the science surrounding the health effects of plastics, phthalates, forever chemicals or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with Host Sonal Choudhary, MD.

“In terms of our personal health, plastic use has been implicated in endocrine disruption, increased inflammation, increased risk of chronic disease, and those health effects have been linked to the type of plastic molecule itself,” Dr. Sundlass says.

There are fewer clinical or epidemiological studies looking at how exposure to plastics affects the skin, but the literature is growing, she says. 

For example, a 2025 study in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology found that kids who had higher levels of phthalates in their urine had an increased risk of atopic dermatitis. The study authors linked phthalate exposure to elevated r levels of interleukin (IL)-5 and decreased levels of IL-10. 

In addition, a 2025 study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found a link between hidradenitis suppurativa severity and exposure to plastic.