Why are there carcinogens in my "organic" personal care products?
Studies have proven, time and time again, that nothing you apply on your skin stays on the surface unless you immediately rinse it off. Your skin, being your body’s largest organ, has over 1 billion pores. It is your body’s first line of defense against anything entering your body. Ironically, it is also a giant sponge, absorbing anything you put on it. It usually takes 10-15 minutes for a product to be completely absorbed into your skin. By this time it is inside your body, “subcutaneously”, which means underneath your skin, and you cannot rinse it off.
This leaves us with the dilemma that, if we apply lotions, perfumes, make-up, oils, deodorants and other cosmetics on a daily basis, the stuff will definitely get absorbed and inside. So in essence, you are FEEDING your skin whatever that product is. Simply put, if you wouldn’t eat it, you probably shouldn’t be putting it on your skin, make sense? Your skin is a living organ, similar to your other organs like your digestive system. So if you are eating organic foods but using synthetic and toxic skin care products, it sort of defeats the purpose of what you’re trying to do.1
The word “organic” is not properly regulated on personal care products (example: toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, etc.) as it is on food products, unless the product is certified by the USDA National Organic Program.
Due to this lax regulation, many personal care products have the word “organic” in their brand name or otherwise on their product label, but unless they are USDA certified, the main cleansing ingredients in particular are usually made with conventional not agricultural material, combined with petrochemical compounds.
Sadly, the commonly used carcinogenic petrochemical Ethylene Oxide actually generates the carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-Dioxane in many of these products.
A new study commissioned by the Organic Consumer’s Association found that many leading brands labeled “natural” or “organic” are testing positive for 1,4-Dioxane, a chemical known to be a carcinogen, and already banned in Europe. This substance is used in personal care products in a process called Ethoxylation, which essentially makes harsh ingredients milder. 1,4-Dioxane does not have to appear on the label because it is technically a by-product. However, traces can remain in products.
Leading brands which tested positive for 1,4-Dioxane were Jason, Avalon Organics, Kiss My Face, Giovanni, Nature’s Gate, and Grandpa’s, maker of pine-tar soap. I removed the highest offenders from the store, Jason’s Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner, Jason’s Hair Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, and Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap. For a complete list of products tested, go to the Organic Consumers Association Website, www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm. They also have a video out on You Tube about this study.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates all personal care products, does not require companies to test products for safety. In fact, labeling of personal care products is not regulated at all by the USDA.
In response to companies pressuring the USDA for standards, they created the USDA “green label”. The USDA green label on Personal Care products means that they are 95% certified organic, and do not contain any synthetics or petrochemical products. These brands are Dr. Bronner’s, and Terressentials. Our Co-op carries Dr. Bronner’s, but Terressentials will not sell to any company that carries other petrochemical brands. Companies certified by the German BDIH are also clean, these are Weleda, Logona, Dr. Hauschka, and Aubrey Organics. These companies never had any petrochemicals in their formulas to remove.
When I first heard about this study and read the results, I contacted the companies within the list that the Co-op carries. Since Hain Celestial owns Avalon, Jason, and Alba Botanicals, I got a corporate letter saying they would investigate the matter. The response I got from Kiss My Face was basically the same, saying that their formulas are safe, and they would remain the same. Not one company addressed the fact that this carcinogenic substance was found in their formulas, or that they would be changing any ingredients.
What is a consumer to do? If you really want to avoid all possible contaminants, you have to choose products that do not contain any of the following ingredients: Mineral Oil, Parabens, Petrolatum, Propylene Glycol, Phenol, Sodium Laurel, Lauryth, Myreth, or Lauryl Sulfate. Sodium Laurel Sulfate is the biggie, present in over 90% of personal care products. The source is usually coconut, but the extraction process may contain harmful chemicals.
Brands that are totally free of these ingredients in our Co-op are: Aubrey Organics, Weleda, Queen Bee, (now LUSA), Dr. Bronner’s, Alaffia, Jozlyn’s Remedies, Four Elements (some are still Nature’s Acres), Logona, Heritage House, Wiseways Herbals, Star Lady Botanicals, Moonsprytes, True Botanica, Evan Healy, & Burt’s Bees (although they use fragrances that may be synthetic).
I am also working with our local personal care makers, trying to come up with more local, safe body care options. As consumers, we do have influence over what companies do. Even if you choose not to use these substances on yourself or your family, they are still present in everyone’s groundwater. The USDA does respond to consumer pressure; let them know you want these carcinogenic substances banned from personal body care use, as they are in Europe. Contact the companies direct; they do listen if enough people talk with their voice or their dollar. A fair labeling system is needed in the personal body care industry, and we can make it happen! I will be closely watching to see what the companies eventually do, and I will keep you informed.
Other useful websites are: Cornucopia Institute, Dr. Bronner’s, Aubrey Organics, and Safe Cosmetics. Remember, we do have choices!!!