Dear Commissioner Sinkevičius,
"On behalf of the Endocrine Society, I am writing to you today to clarify how the Society characterizes endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with respect to products such as essential oils. As defined in our Position Statement, an EDC is "an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that can interfere with any aspect of hormone action. These can include natural or manufactured chemicals, such as pesticides, biocides, plastics, food contact materials, cosmetics, and others1.” As our definition is based on the effect of the chemical, we make no distinction between natural products such as essential oils or phytoestrogens, and manmade chemicals, such as bisphenols and phthalates. We further note that natural products used in consumer goods are often highly enriched versions of substances; in this context they may therefore also be considered manufactured products."