Newsweek asked me this week about Sarah Esposito, a 26-year-old lash technician and permanent makeup artist in New Jersey. She noticed a lump in her neck in February 2026, put her shoulder and back pain down to leaning over clients all day, and was diagnosed with classic Hodgkin lymphoma that June.1 Her oncologist advised her to step away from beauty work because of the chemical exposure. I told Newsweek that caution is reasonable, and why:

“When I run environmental toxin panels on patients, it’s rare to find someone with no meaningful exposures. Most people carry several at once, including phthalates and parabens from personal care products and plastics.”

I was just as clear about the limits: we can’t say her work caused her lymphoma. This is the longer version: what is in lash glue and permanent makeup pigment, what the evidence does and does not show, what a toxin panel can tell you, and practical ways to cut exposure, whether you do this work or sit in the chair.

Caution is reasonable. Blame is not.

Some chemicals have firm links to specific cancers. Benzene causes acute myeloid leukemia. Formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer (the upper throat behind the nose) and leukemia.2 Asbestos causes mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx and ovary.3 No chemical has been shown to cause classic Hodgkin lymphoma, and one patient’s story cannot tell us whether her job played a part. Hodgkin lymphoma is diagnosed most often between ages 20 and 34,4 so a young adult with the disease is, sadly, not unusual on its own.

What we can say is that beauty work involves real, measurable exposures, and the research on how they add up is thin. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies occupational exposure as a hairdresser or barber as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A), based mainly on bladder cancer.5 No similar evaluation exists for lash technicians or permanent makeup artists, because the work is too new and the workforce too small to have been studied that way. A lack of evidence is not evidence of safety. When a young patient with cancer is deciding whether to keep a job with daily chemical exposure, lowering that exposure is a sensible call even without proof.

What is in lash glue

Lash extension adhesives are built on cyanoacrylate, the same chemistry as super glue, usually in its ethyl form. As cyanoacrylate cures and later breaks down it can release formaldehyde, and some adhesives contain formaldehyde directly. The short-chain forms used in fast-drying lash glues release more formaldehyde than the longer-chain forms used in medical skin adhesives.6

For a technician, the best-documented harm is to the airways and skin rather than cancer. Cyanoacrylate is a recognized cause of occupational asthma and rhinitis: Finnish researchers confirmed both in eyelash extension technicians with inhalation challenge testing.7 Acrylate allergy, which causes dermatitis on the fingertips and eyelids, is also common in people who handle these glues. Signs to take seriously:

  • A runny or stuffy nose, cough, wheeze or chest tightness on work days that eases on days off
  • Itchy, cracked skin on the fingertips, or swelling of the eyelids
  • Watery, burning eyes during appointments

Occupational asthma caught early often improves once the exposure stops. Left alone it can become permanent, so these symptoms deserve a doctor’s visit, not just a stronger antihistamine.

What is in permanent makeup pigment

Permanent makeup is tattooing, and its pigments raise the same questions as tattoo ink. Some contain azo dyes that can break down into aromatic amines, several of which are carcinogens. Carbon black, the base of most black and brown pigments, can carry traces of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Pigments can also contain heavy metals, as colorants or as contaminants.

Europe has acted on this. Since January 2022, an EU regulation has capped carcinogenic aromatic amines, PAHs and metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in tattoo and permanent makeup inks, many of them at a fraction of a part per million.8 The U.S. has no equivalent ingredient limits, though many reputable suppliers now formulate to the EU standard.

Ink does not stay where it is placed. Pigment particles travel to nearby lymph nodes and remain there for life. In a Swedish population study, people with tattoos had about a 21% higher rate of lymphoma, a borderline result that needs confirmation, and the link was strongest for non-Hodgkin types such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.9 That study looked at people who had tattoos, not the artists who apply them. It is a reason for more research, not a reason to panic about the brows you already have.

Most exposure comes from everyday products

Patients who have never worked in a salon still have several exposures on their panels. Phthalates soften plastics and, as diethyl phthalate, carry fragrance in perfumes, lotions and hair products, often hidden under the single word “fragrance” on the label. Parabens are preservatives in cosmetics and lotions. Both are measurable in the urine of most Americans.

The encouraging part is how quickly those levels respond. In the HERMOSA study, 100 teenage girls in California switched for three days to personal care products labeled free of phthalates, parabens, triclosan and oxybenzone. Urine levels of the main diethyl phthalate metabolite fell 27%, methyl and propyl parabens fell 44% and 45%, and triclosan and oxybenzone each fell about 36%.10 Phthalates and parabens clear the body within a day or two, so changing what you use changes what you carry.

What a toxin panel can and cannot tell you

An environmental toxin panel is usually a urine test that measures breakdown products of common chemicals: phthalates, parabens, solvents such as benzene, toluene and xylene, and pesticides. Heavy metals are a separate blood or urine test. Results are reported against population ranges, so they tell you how your levels compare with other people’s, not whether a number is safe.

Used well, the panel answers two practical questions:

  • Which exposures are higher than they should be. A high solvent metabolite in someone who works in a salon points to the workstation. A high phthalate often points to fragrance, plastics or food packaging.
  • Whether changes worked. Because many of these chemicals clear quickly, a repeat test after a few months of changes shows whether levels came down.

It cannot tell you that a chemical caused a disease, and for the fast-clearing chemicals a single sample reflects only the last day or two. That is why I said we can’t say her work caused her lymphoma, but that she, like most of my patients, was likely exposed to many chemicals every day, and we are only beginning to understand how those exposures add up.

Practical steps for lash and permanent makeup professionals

  • Read the safety data sheet for every adhesive, primer, remover and pigment you use, and favor products that list their ingredients.
  • Pull fumes away from your face. A fume extractor positioned near the client’s eyes does far more than a room fan or an open door. Keep the adhesive drop below and away from your breathing zone.
  • Dispense only what you need and keep bottles capped between uses.
  • Wear nitrile gloves, which resist acrylates better than latex or vinyl, and change them often.
  • Buy pigments from suppliers that publish ingredients and meet EU limits, and record batch numbers.
  • Keep food and drinks away from your station, and wash your hands before breaks.
  • Get symptoms that improve on days off checked early.

For clients, the same logic applies on a smaller scale: ask what adhesive your technician uses, keep your eyes closed during application, and speak up right away if your eyes burn or water.

A neck lump that doesn’t go away needs a look

Esposito’s first sign was a lump in her neck that she put down to sleeping awkwardly. Most neck lumps are lymph nodes reacting to a cold or sore throat, and they shrink within a few weeks. A lump deserves a doctor’s visit when it:11

  • Lasts longer than about four weeks, or keeps growing
  • Is larger than about 1 centimeter, hard, rubbery or fixed in place
  • Sits just above the collarbone
  • Comes with fevers, drenching night sweats, unexplained weight loss or persistent itching
  • Comes with chest pain, cough or shortness of breath, which can signal enlarged nodes inside the chest

Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers. About 89% of people are alive five years after diagnosis, and the outlook is better still when it is found at an early stage.4

The bottom line

Her oncologist’s caution is reasonable. The chemicals in lash glue and permanent makeup pigment are real, some are proven carcinogens in other settings, and most of us carry several everyday exposures on top of whatever our jobs add. What the evidence cannot yet do is tie any of them to one person’s lymphoma. The practical response is the same either way: know what you are exposed to, lower what you can, and get new symptoms checked early. If you want to see your own exposure picture, an environmental toxin panel is one of the tests I can add to a baseline workup. Start with a free discovery call, or read more about root cause medicine.

Frequently asked questions

Does lash glue contain formaldehyde?

Often in small amounts. Lash adhesives are made from cyanoacrylate, which can release formaldehyde as it cures and breaks down, and some formulas contain formaldehyde directly. For technicians, the better-documented day-to-day risk is to the airways and skin: cyanoacrylate can cause occupational asthma and rhinitis, and acrylate allergy can cause dermatitis. A fume extractor, nitrile gloves and using as little glue as possible all lower exposure.

Can permanent makeup cause cancer?

There is no proof that it does. Some pigments have contained azo dyes that can break down into carcinogenic aromatic amines, PAH traces from carbon black, and heavy metals, which is why the EU has limited these substances in tattoo and permanent makeup inks since 2022. A 2024 Swedish study found that people with tattoos had about a 21% higher rate of lymphoma, a borderline result that still needs confirmation. Choosing pigments that list their ingredients and meet EU limits is a reasonable precaution.

What does an environmental toxin test measure?

Most panels are urine tests for breakdown products of phthalates, parabens, solvents such as benzene and toluene, and pesticides. Heavy metals are tested separately in blood or urine. Results are compared with population ranges rather than safety thresholds. The test is most useful for finding which exposures are high and for confirming that changes worked. It cannot show that a specific chemical caused a disease.

When should a lump in the neck be checked?

See a doctor if a neck lump lasts longer than about four weeks, keeps growing, is larger than about 1 centimeter, feels hard or fixed, sits just above the collarbone, or comes with fevers, drenching night sweats, unexplained weight loss or chest symptoms. Most neck lumps are lymph nodes reacting to an infection and go away on their own, but a persistent one needs an exam and sometimes imaging or a biopsy.

References

  1. Collins A. “Woman Thought She Had a Crick in Her Neck, One Scan Changed Everything.” Newsweek, October 18, 2026. Quotes Dr. Luke Sorrell. newsweek.com

  2. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Chemical Agents and Related Occupations. IARC Monographs Volume 100F. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2012. publications.iarc.who.int

  3. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Arsenic, Metals, Fibres, and Dusts. IARC Monographs Volume 100C. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2012. publications.iarc.who.int

  4. National Cancer Institute, SEER Program. “Cancer Stat Facts: Hodgkin Lymphoma.” seer.cancer.gov

  5. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Some Aromatic Amines, Organic Dyes, and Related Exposures. IARC Monographs Volume 99. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2010. publications.iarc.who.int

  6. Pascual G, Sotomayor S, Rodríguez M, et al. “Cytotoxicity of Cyanoacrylate-Based Tissue Adhesives and Short-Term Preclinical In Vivo Biocompatibility in Abdominal Hernia Repair.” PLoS ONE 11, no. 6 (2016): e0157920. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157920

  7. Lindström I, Suojalehto H, Henriks-Eckerman ML, Suuronen K. “Occupational asthma and rhinitis caused by cyanoacrylate-based eyelash extension glues.” Occupational Medicine 63, no. 4 (2013): 294–297. DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqt020

  8. European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/2081 of 14 December 2020 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) as regards substances in tattoo inks or permanent make-up. eur-lex.europa.eu

  9. Nielsen C, Jerkeman M, Jöud AS. “Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case–control study.” eClinicalMedicine 72 (2024): 102649. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102649

  10. Harley KG, Kogut K, Madrigal DS, et al. “Reducing Phthalate, Paraben, and Phenol Exposure from Personal Care Products in Adolescent Girls: Findings from the HERMOSA Intervention Study.” Environmental Health Perspectives 124, no. 10 (2016): 1600–1607. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1510514

  11. Gaddey HL, Riegel AM. “Unexplained Lymphadenopathy: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis.” American Family Physician 94, no. 11 (2016): 896–903. aafp.org