What Every Woman Needs to Know About Xenoestrogens

Wellness Insights
Written By Jemma Underdown

There’s a strange kind of double standard playing out in the wellness world right now.

The influencers and accounts who preach mindfulness and hormone balance, who post about hot girl walks, pilates, adrenal cocktails, and ‘clean girl’ aesthetics… but then also promote perfumes, luxury candles, and beauty products loaded with known endocrine disruptors.

The aim of this post is not to blame. It’s to call out the blind spots and the selective version of health that is being pushed.

Because you can’t fully support women’s hormonal health whilst also sell them products that work against it. And if we’re going to talk about health and wellness, we need to talk about all of it.

That includes what we breathe in daily, what we put on our skin, and what we’re normalising in the name of beauty.

So Lets Talk About It

For so many of us, the products we love the most are probably doing some damage. The scented candle that signals the end of a long day. The luxury serum or foundation that promises glow. The perfume we’ve worn for years that feels like part of our identity. They’re part of our daily rituals, tiny moments of pleasure and comfort that we return to without question.

But behind the pretty packaging and calming labels, many of these products contain a class of chemicals that can interfere with our hormones in ways most women are never warned about.

They’re called xenoestrogens. And if you’re experiencing things like worsening PMS, stubborn weight gain, unpredictable moods, or a cycle that seems increasingly out of sync, these compounds could be part of the picture that’s being ignored.

What Are Xenoestrogens?

Xenoestrogens are synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals that behave like oestrogen once inside the body. They bind to our oestrogen receptors and can interfere with the hormonal signals that govern everything from ovulation to brain and mood regulation.

Unlike our own oestrogen, they don’t follow the body’s feedback loops. They can linger around and accumulate. And they can confuse and overburden the very systems that are designed to keep us balanced.

Where do they come from? Unfortunately, almost everywhere. These hormone-mimicking compounds are found in many plastics (especially BPA and BPS), conventional cleaning products, birth control, animal feed, pesticides, cosmetics (Such as Phatalates and parabens) fragrances, pesticides, and even household dust.

You don’t need to be working in a chemical plant to be exposed to xenoestrogens—you just need to live a normal modern life.

What They’re Doing to the Body—Even If You Can’t Feel It (Yet)

Some women notice changes immediately—others don’t realise anything is off until their symptoms become prominent. Xenoestrogens are particularly disruptive for women with endometriosis and other oestrogen sensitive conditions.

If you’re dealing with any of the following, it’s worth asking whether the products in your daily routine could be playing a role:

  • Premenstrual symptoms that seem to be getting worse—mood swings, irritability, breast tenderness, or bloating

  • Weight gain, especially around the lower belly and hips, even without major dietary changes

  • Heavy, painful, or irregular periods

  • Increased anxiety or feelings of emotional volatility

  • Migraines or headaches around your cycle

  • Fatigue that lingers, even with decent sleep

  • Acne or adult-onset skin issues

  • Difficulty conceiving, or early miscarriage

  • Signs of oestrogen dominance—like fibroids, endometriosis, or lumpy breasts

None of these symptoms prove xenoestrogens are the cause. But they are the kinds of imbalances that can be worsened by synthetic oestrogen interference—and many of them are being seen more frequently in women of all ages.

What the Research Tells Us

This isn’t a conspiracy theory or wellness world exaggeration. Science has been mapping the influence of xenoestrogens for a while now:

  • Xenoestrogens can disrupt oestrogen receptor signalling in the brain, particularly ER-β, which plays a critical role in cognition, mood, and neuroprotection. These disruptions may increase the risk of neurological diseases across a woman's lifespan (Reddy et al., 2021)

  • Exposure to xenoestrogens like ethinyl estradiol and zearalenone accelerates puberty onset and disrupts normal reproductive hormone signalling in female rats (Kriszt et al., 2015), with similar effects observed in young girls in Saudi Arabia (Al-Agha et al., 2015).

  • Xenoestrogens can disrupt normal oestrogen receptor signalling, potentially aggravating oestrogen-related symptoms such as PMS (Reddy et al., 2021)

  • Several studies have found associations between xenoestrogens (like BPA) and reduced fertility, embryo development issues, and changes in uterine environment in rodents (Li et al., 2016; Xiao et al., 2011, Yuan et al., 2018)

  • Phthalates can negatively affect ovarian and uterine function, contributing to disorders like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and other common female reproductive problems (Basso et al., 2022)

Are there large-scale, human randomised controlled trials proving causality? No and ethically, it would be impossible to design them (and we can’t wait for them!).

But the mechanistic evidence, animal studies, and population-level associations are strong enough that many researchers, functional practitioners, and public health experts agree: this is something we should be paying attention to.

So What Can You Do About It?

The good news is that your body is resilient and it designed to detoxify - but not at the pace or quantity we are currently exposed to.

You don’t need to live in fear, and you don’t need to overhaul your life overnight, but thoughtful, strategic changes can make a real difference and it is something we need to act on now.

1. Rethink Your Products

Start with the things you use daily. Your body wash, your face cream, your deodorant. Fragrance is one of the biggest culprits—so anything that simply lists “parfum” or “fragrance” on the label (without disclosure) is worth reconsidering. Choose brands that are transparent about their ingredients, and use tools like the EWG Skin Deep database to guide your choices.

2. Ditch Plastic (When You Can)

Plastic containers, water bottles, and food packaging can all leach xenoestrogens—especially when heated. Use glass, stainless steel, or silicone alternatives, and never microwave food in plastic especially if the food is high in fat (fat loves to hold to things!)

3. Filter What You Drink (and Breathe)

Many municipal water supplies contain trace levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals. A high-quality filter can help. Similarly, keep your air clean by reducing synthetic fragrances in your home and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter to capture dust-bound toxins.

4. Support Your Natural Detox Pathways

Your liver and gut are your body’s detox engines. Feed them well. Prioritise cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and brussel sprouts), fiber-rich foods, and plenty of hydration daily. Regular movement, sweating (via exercise or saunas) can support the elimination of stored toxins.

5. Think Progress, Not Perfection

You don’t need to throw everything away. You don’t need to stress about every candle or shampoo bottle. But save some of those existing products for a special occasion rather than using them every day. Awareness helps you make empowered decisions, and even small steps—taken consistently—can reduce your total exposure.

6. Prioritise Organic (When Possible)

Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used in conventional agriculture often include compounds with hormone-disrupting effects. Some of the most commonly sprayed chemicals are known endocrine disruptors—and they're not always washed off with water.

Prioritise organic for:

  • The “Dirty Dozen”—fruits and vegetables most likely to carry high pesticide residues. Find the 2025 list here

  • Animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), since hormones and toxins can accumulate in fat

  • Oils and high-fat packaged foods, which can hold on to persistent chemicals longer

Organic isn’t accessible to everyone, all the time. But even partial shifts can reduce exposure—especially when you’re eating these foods often.

Hormone-Safe Swaps I Love

There are incredible low-tox swaps that can support your hormones, without sacrificing performance or beauty. And I’ve listed some of my go-to recs below to help you get started.

🧼 Body & Skincare

💄 Beauty

🏡 Home

Final Thoughts

It’s infuriating—and honestly, kind of shocking—that the burden of navigating all this falls on the individual, when it’s companies and regulatory bodies that should be doing far more to protect our health in the first place.

But while we wait for better regulation, we can take action—by choosing safer products, supporting transparent brands, and using our voices to push for change, whether that’s through petitions, contacting MPs, or simply raising awareness in our own circles.

I also want to acknowledge that being able to choose organic food or low-tox products is a privilege—and that shouldn't be the case. Access to safer products and clean food should not be a luxury. The fact that it is—that so many women can’t afford to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals—isn’t just unfortunate. It’s wrong on all levels.

There’s no perfect way to avoid every hormone-disrupting chemical in modern life. But there is power in knowing what you’re dealing with. Xenoestrogens may not be visible, but their impact is very real (even if we don’t have years of studies to prove it yet)—and so is your ability to respond with knowledge and care.

Your hormones are adaptable, responsive, and intelligent. But they need your support. And now that you know, you get to choose differently.

Because the small things you do—every product you swap, every label you read, every choice you reclaim—add up. Not just to fewer symptoms, but to a deeper sense of understanding and respect for your body.

And that’s what health and wellbeing is about.

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Jemma Underdown
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