According to a report from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Britain's environment is under threat from shampoo.
The new report warns shampoos, shower gels and other cosmetic products along with a burgeoning number of other chemicals, are finding their way into the environment and are posing a risk to sea life, plants as well as people's health.
The substances found include parabens, which have been linked to a rise in breast cancer and are used as a preservative in a range of cosmetic products.
The report by 29 scientists, 'Sustainable Water: Chemical Science Priorities', is calling for urgent research to determine the scale of the threat.
The report says wastewater treatment works are unable to prevent chemicals used in many household products escaping into the environment and it raises concern over the growing number of chemicals that are now appearing.
The report says their effects on the environment, including human health, are unclear and need to be investigated.
Dr. Jeff Hardy, the RSC's environment and energy manager, says though most people are not interested to what happens to their shower gel after it has disappeared down the drain, chemists and employees of the water industry are.
Dr. Hardy says even modern treatment works cannot remove all the substances, and traces of medicines such as anti-depressants, painkillers and anti-cancer drugs have also been found in the drinking water supply.
The report calls for a better understanding of the exposure of water systems to chemical contaminants in order to control the risks of the contamination to the environment and human health.