Carcinogens in "Organic" Bodycare Products

This is disappointing, to say the least. Half the products at Whole Foods are on this list!

GreenFertility likes Dr. Hauschka; their products are biodynamic, which goes beyond organic and of course have to hew to much stricter German safety standards. The rare times when I go on TV and I have to wear makeup and want to skip the blechy professional stuff they use, I always go with a German company, usually my pal Dr. H.

Prior GreenFertility posts of interest:

• Lead in lipstick.
• Hair potions.

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From the Organic Consumers Association:

Ethoxylation, a cheap short-cut companies use to provide mildness to harsh ingredients, requires the use of the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which generates 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product. 1,4-Dioxane is considered a chemical "known to the State of California to cause cancer" under proposition 65, and has no place in "natural" or "organic" branded personal care products. 1,4-dioxane is also suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others, according to the California EPA, and is a leading groundwater contaminant. Although previous studies have revealed 1,4-Dioxane is often present in conventional personal care products, this new study indicates the toxin is also present in leading "natural" and "organic" branded products, none of which are certified under the USDA National Organic Program. The products/brands tested are listed on the attached page with the level of 1,4-Dioxane detected, if any, along with ethoxylated ingredients listed on the label.

Some of the Leading Brands Found to Contain 1,4-Dioxane:

• JASON Pure Natural & Organic
  Giovanni Organic Cosmetics
  Kiss My Face
  Nature's Gate Organics.
• View this page or download this leaflet for full listing.

Both the OCA and Steinman are calling for misleadingly labeled "Organic(s)" brands which include ethoxylate ingredients or otherwise utilize petrochemicals in their ingredients, to drop all organic claims from their branding and labeling. "The practice of ethoxylating ingredients or using other petroleum compounds must end for natural personal care, and is that much more outrageous in so-called 'organics' brand products," says Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the OCA.
"At a time when our nation is dangerously dependent on foreign oil and attempting to wean itself off unnecessary dependence on petroleum-based ingredients in major consumer products for national security reasons, it is self-defeating that we are literally bathing ourselves and our children in toxic petroleum compounds," says Steinman. "But consumers should also take heart in the emergence of a growing number of companies who've received the message and who are seeking to completely avoid petrochemicals in their cosmetic and personal care products. Your best bet is to purchase products whose ingredients you can pronounce or better yet are certified under the USDA National Organic Program."

Brands Found not to Contain 1,4-Dioxane:
All USDA Certified brands tested in this study were 1,4-Dioxane-free, including:

• Dr. Bronner's
  Sensibility Soaps (Nourish)
  Terressentials

All German Natural "BDIH" Certified brands tested
were found to be 1,4-Dioxane-free:

• Aubrey Organics
  Dr. Hauschka

read more here.
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