Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened industry-wide investigations into makers of feminine care and cosmetic products, seeking to determine whether companies misled consumers about toxic chemicals in items such as tampons, lip balm, and lipstick.
According to a July 27 news release from the Office of the Attorney General, the investigations will examine potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, including whether consumers were misled about the safety, quality, or chemical composition of the products.
The office said lip products, which are designed to be applied several times a day, may contain harmful ingredients such as titanium dioxide and other petroleum-based materials. It said such products reach sensitive tissue that absorbs more readily than other skin, and cited reports that as many as 3,000 particles of microplastics can appear in each application, along with synthetic dyes whose long-term health effects have not been adequately studied. The release added that some brands market lip products to children and partner with food brands in ways that could mislead consumers into believing the products are safe to eat.
The attorney general’s office also opened an investigation into feminine care products after reports that some may contain heavy metals. It cited a 2024 University of California, Berkeley study that it said detected all 16 heavy metals tested, including lead, cadmium, and arsenic, across more than 30 tampon products from 14 brands, noting that public health authorities maintain there is no known safe level of lead exposure. The office said it issued Civil Investigative Demands to Tampax, Kotex, L., and LOLA.
“Many corporations have neglected the health of women by using harmful ingredients in their everyday products, but my office will fight to defend Texas women and their health,” Paxton said in the release. He said no company should mislead women about product safety and pledged to investigate any company that harms the health of Texans.
The office said the investigations focus on how the products were marketed and their chemical composition, and whether that conduct amounts to deceptive trade practices under state law.