Buyer Beware Concerning Personal Care Products

In this day and age when so many consumer products are labeled organic or natural, it is not a simple matter to ensure that you are using substances that are toxin-free. The article below highlights a recent study that tested many popular brands of personal care products that claim to be green and free of dangerous chemicals, and the results were surprising and quite alarming.

Certain corporations that manufacture and sell organic foods have learned how to get around regulations and make their products sound organic when they are not, and the situation is even worse when it comes to personal care products. Some companies list a chemical name and then in parenthesis indicate what plant source it is synthesized from, hoping that customers will think this somehow makes the ingredient natural. I have noticed that a few MLM companies do not provide a full ingredient list, choosing only to list the components that make them look clean and green. For instance, there are certain ingredients that must be used in order to formulate a cream, but when the label lists only herbs and essential oils, then the company is not being truthful with their customers. The restrictions on the labeling of such products are almost non-existent, relying solely on the ethics of the manufacturers themselves. It is important that you are very aware of the ingredients used in any substance that is applied to your skin. Whatever goes on your skin is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and quickly spreads throughout the body. The posting below includes a link to a listing of all the products tested, along with the results. Researching the products that you use on your self and your family is a much better tactic than relying on the Luck of the Irish!


Popular 'natural' personal products fail test

Consumers may have to rethink exactly how "natural" and "organic" their shampoo, body wash or lotion are.

In a newly released study, tests of about 100 "green" products found that nearly half contained detectable levels of a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of petrochemicals used in manufacturing. Products that contained detectable levels include popular brands such as Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature's Gate.

The Organic Consumers Association, a consumer-advocacy group, hired a third-party lab to test for the presence of 1,4-dioxane. The Los Angeles Times says the Environmental Protection Agency has declared 1,4-dioxane a probable human carcinogen because it causes cancer in lab animals.

It "has no place in 'natural' or 'organic' branded personal care products," the OCA says in their statement.

Marla Cone of the L.A. Times explains:
The compound is not intentionally added to products; it is a byproduct of a process used to soften harsh detergents. It is formed when foaming agents, or surfactants, are processed with ethylene oxide or similar petrochemicals.No one knows exactly what amount of the compound may be unsafe. In scientific studies, lab animals that had been fed 1,4-dioxane for many weeks developed nasal, liver and gall bladder cancers. But scientists do not now know what, if any, cancer risk humans face from years-long use of products containing the chemical.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates cosmetics, has set no standards for 1,4-dioxane. The agency has occasionally tested products for the compound since the late 1970s and says levels of it have substantially declined since then. The FDA says the current levels "do not present a hazard to consumers," although it has advised the industry to reduce amounts in cosmetics as much as possible.

At least one company, Hain Celestial Group, which owns Jason and Alba, told the L.A. Times it would reevaluate all its products. Others, like Seventh Generation, told the paper that it works hard as it can "to keep the levels as low as possible and keep our products as safe as possible."

Here are some of the products found to contain 1,4-dioxane:

JASON Tea Tree Scalp Normalizing Shampoo
Giovanni Cleanse Body Wash
365* Everyday Value Shower Gel
Nature's Gate Moisturizing Liquid Soap
Kiss My Face Moisture Soap
Method Dish Naturally Derived Ultra Concentrate

Labels and claims of "organic" or "natural" can be misleading, so the OCA says your best bet is to go with products whose ingredients you can pronounce or are certified under the USDA National Organic Program.

All USDA-certified organic brands that were tested in the study were free of 1,4-dioxane including:

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps 18-in-1 Hemp Almond Pure Castile Soap
Sensibility Soaps (Nourish brand)
TerrEssential Organic Baby Wash

For the full list of 100 products tested, click here (PDF, 2 pages).

Posted by Phuong Cat Le at March 14, 2008 10:44 a.m

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/consumersmarts/archives/134263.asp