Non-natural “natural” consumer products.
By now it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that a recent study has shown that many “natural” and “organic” cosmetic products contain a chemical that the EPA has classified as a probable carcinogen. That chemical is 1,4-dioxane, and is a common byproduct in cosmetics manufacturing, and was found in products sold by companies including Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature’s Gate, among others.
What may come as a surprise is the fact that this chemical is present in almost all non-organic/natural soap products. Although it has not been proven that this chemical causes cancer in humans at these levels, it has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals.
The uproar regarding this study is based on the fact that consumers who purchase organic or natural cosmetic products expect these brands to take extra care to keep carcinogens out of the products. In the case of 1,4-dioxane, the chemical is not essential to the functionality of the product, but using a manufacturing process that avoids this byproduct is more expensive.
Assuming that 1,4-dioxane shouldn’t be banned by the FDA (or EPA), at the very least, consumers who are spending extra money to buy organic or natural products should know whether there have known carcinogens within them. The solution is probably setting a clearer standard as to what type of product may be termed “organic” or “natural.”
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Comments
One Comment on Non-natural “natural” consumer products.
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Chrystie on
Thu, 20th Mar 2008 2:39 pm
Hi Jacob,
Seventh Generation is very concerned about ingredient disclosure and transparency, and we applaud the Organic Consumer Association’s (OCA) recent research efforts to educate consumers about the safety of personal care and home cleaning products. It is important for consumers to know that Seventh Generation’s dish liquid, which does contain a minute amount of the ethoxylate 1,4-dioxane, is deemed safe according to the FDA’s and our own strict guidelines.
We are committed to eliminating all harmful chemicals from household cleaning products. Consistent with our core mission, we have worked with surfactant manufacturers for many years to reduce levels of 1,4-dixoane in ethoxylated surfactants and it is our intent to completely eliminate 1,4-dioxane from all of our products.
We share the OCA’s concerns about the misuse of terms such as “organic” and “natural” and the lack of disclosure requirements. We have championed this cause and have led the market for twenty years. We also believe that the decision to stop using conventional synthetic chemical cleaners is one of the most important ones you’ll ever make for the health of your family and the safety of your home. While our products are not perfect today, we will continue to improve them and are confident that they are a much better and safer choice than traditional cleaning products.
Is There An Alternative to Ethoxylates?
We don’t believe that today there is a better or safer choice. Ethoxylation is used to modify plant oils to make them function as surfactants. It is possible to create surfactants without ethoxylation, but there are trade-offs. One alternative, for example, is to use exclusively petroleum-derived materials. However, this is less sustainable than using renewable plant oils. Petroleum-derived surfactants may also have less desirable biodegradability and toxicity profiles. For anionic (negatively charged) surfactants, another alternative is to not ethoxylate the plant oils. The resulting surfactants (SLS, for example) are more irritating than the equivalent ethoxylated surfactant.
It is also worth noting that all of the dish liquids tested by the OCA contained ethoxylates. Furthermore, according to the OCA, no viable alternative currently exists and will need to be developed and thoroughly tested.
For our dish liquids and liquid laundry detergents, ethoxylates help deliver products that work. While that is true for now, we are working to eliminate ethoxylates from all products in the future.
For more information about Seventh Generation’s commitment to consumers, please visit our 7th Gen blog!.
Again, thank you for keeping your audience informed.
Chrystie Heimert, Seventh Generation
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