The Body-Care Market Is Booming, But Do We Really Need Butt Masks?

”The face is about 3.5 percent of total body surface ... When you use products over a larger area, such as the body, more absorption takes place,” says Dr. Baumann. “This means too much retinol, for example, could be absorbed (which is why the ingredient isn’t recommended during pregnancy).” As Dr. Rogers notes, the scientific community doesn’t exactly know how this cumulative chemical load affects our system once it gets in — much less if these chemicals are good or bad. This great unknown may be enough to make minimalists out of some when it comes to body care, though as Dr. Baumann notes, we shouldn’t necessarily be turned off by what’s not proven. “Worrisome ingredients bind estrogen receptors and there is a fear that that causes hormonal disturbances,” she says. “But, anything listed by FDA as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) has no proof of any [negative] issues when absorbed.”