Baby Care Products Found to Contain Ingredients Contaminated With Toxins

There is now a huge market targeting special baby care products. Ads in all media forms play on the emotions of parents who want the best for their children. However, many cosmetic companies have their profit margin firmly placed as their priority rather than the quality of their products.

These lotions, potions and cleansers are advertised beautifully. We are told these products are “pure’ “gentle” “refreshing” Delightful babies, someones’ little treasures showing how vunerable they are, needing our protection and nurturing.

The advertisment, in print or on TV, assure us that the Babies’ wellbeing is their prime motivation!

How sickening, then it was to read the report released by EWG, in March 2009. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics purchased baby lotion, bubble bath, shampoo and other products, 48 in all and sent them, unopened to an indepentent laboratory for testing. The findings were astounding and I quote:-

17 out of 28 products tested – 61 percent – contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. 23 out of 28 products – 82 percent – contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm). 32 out of 48 products – 67 percent – contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.

While a single product might not be cause for concern, the reality is that babies may be exposed to several products at bath time, several times a week, in addition to other chemical exposures in the home and environment. Those small exposures add up and may contribute to later-life disease.

This link will take you to the full report from Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Some of the famous brands listed here may surprise you!

Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens; formaldehyde can also trigger skin rashes in some children. Unlike many other countries, the U.S. government does not limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, or most other hazardous substances in personal care products.

The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they’re contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.

Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

1,4-dioxane is a by-product of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Although manufactures can easily remove the toxic by-product, they are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

Fragrance is another dangerous ingredient. Used to mask the smell of other chemicals, a fragrance can be made up of up to 400 elements. The most common reason for allergy and side effects usually point back to a reaction to the fragrance.

Even those products claiming to be ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ may contain chemicals. Be on the look out for cocoamidopropyl betaine often listed as coco betaine, so it doesn’t sound too ‘chemical’ this foaming agent for shampoo, bubble bath and baby wash is made by synthesising oil with ammonia and a toxic herbicide! Who can imagine applying that to a baby?!

Then there are those products that contain a long list of chemicals and a few organic ingredients that make up a small percentage of the entire product so the manufactures can make ‘organic’ claims. Be sure to purchase products that have an organic certification… from the USDA or ACO or IFoam these are your guarantee of an independent third party proof of an organic claim.