Ingredients to avoid

This is an on-going list of ingredients to avoid in your personal care & home products.

My goal here is to give you the information so that you can move forward with it to make informed decisions on the products you use.

It’s been said that a woman uses roughly 30 products per day.

Just think about the compound effect of these products for a minute. You take a shower & use shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and possibly shave cream. Then you get out and use body lotion, skincare, 5-10 types of makeup, fragrance, and hair styling products. Then you use a multitude of products to clean your home, wash your clothes, and keep your overall environment kept.

I am a minimalist when it comes to personal care products.

I was my hair every 3-4 days. I don’t use leave-in hair products. I wear makeup once a week to church. I don’t use fragrance. My skincare routine is also extremely minimal.

I aim to use products with minimal ingredients, but I also feel more comfortable using “less perfect” products because the amount that I use or don’t use). So my comfort level might be different than your comfort level, depending on how many products you use daily. If you like to wear makeup and style your hair daily with products, then it’s more prudent to take a deeper look at the ingredients in your products.

This is merely a starting point of ingredients to avoid (AKA the top offenders) & I aim to continually add to this list as time goes on.

Ingredients to avoid in Landry detergent

Nonylphenol ethoxylate

These substances are known to make your products foamy and to reduce the surface tension of water to effectively remove dirt. When used in a detergent, it contaminates wastewater and significantly harms marine life. Far from ideal for human health, nonylphenol ethoxylate could also be linked to reproductive system problems.

Phosphates

Phosphate is a mineral substance that is often listed as a laundry detergent ingredient. However, according to Environmental Working Group (EWG), when used frequently in household products, it can cause skin and eye irritation in addition to contributing to water pollution.

Dyes

Have you ever wondered why typical detergents are blue? While the dye added to the detergent doesn’t have a true cleaning effect, it can cause skin irritation. The blue tint contains optical brighteners that only make your clothes appear whiter.

Optical brighteners

many optical brighteners contain a lot of chemical substances, including benzene, which is a totally unacceptable substance according to EWG. Benzene represents an elevated risk in cancer and reproductive system-related problems

1,4-Dioxane

Considered to be a possible carcinogen under California’s Proposition 658, 1,4-dioxane is the most common contaminant, and perhaps the most difficult to detect because it is not intentionally added to a cleaning product.

Therefore, this contaminant is frequently found in products as a residual (leftover from the manufacturing process) in the following blowing agents and emulsifiers:

  • Sodium laureth sulfate and all ingredients ending in the suffix “eth” or “oxynol”
  • Polyethylene, polyethylene glycols (PEG)
  • Polysorbate (20, 30, 80)

Chlorine Bleach

If your skin is itchy when you get out of the pool, you should avoid chlorine bleach in your laundry detergent at all costs. Not only will it irritate your skin, but it can also cause irreparable damage to marine life.

Formaldehyde

Classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer10, this contaminant acts as a preservative and disinfectant in many products that are used daily. Despite being used in low concentrations, this carcinogenic contaminant can still prove harmful to the skin.

To detect formaldehyde, search for the following ingredients on the labels of your cleaning products.

  • DMDM hydantoin
  • Dioazolidinyl urea / imidazolidinyl urea
  • Quaternium-15

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

They themselves are not considered carcinogens, but SLES manufacturing is subject to potential contamination of ethylene oxide (a known human carcinogen, nervous system disrupter, and developmental toxin) and 1,4-dioxane (a possible human carcinogen and environmental pollutant that does not degrade easily).

Ingredients to avoid in body care products

From cosmetics to body lotions, shaving creams, and skincare, there’s many ingredients to be aware of in addition to the ingredients listed above.

Parabens

Parabens are repeat offenders when it comes to toxic ingredients. You’ll find them in practically every popular body lotion.

Look out for butylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, or ethylparaben on the label. Parabens are actually very useful. They prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in your favorite body lotion. They are also, however, linked to hormone disruption and breast cancer.

If you’re worried about your product going bad, there are better, more safe ways to prevent that. By using vitamin e and citric acid instead, products can be made fungus-free albeit with a shorter shelf life.

Phenoxyethanol

Phenoxyethanol plays the same role parabens do – it prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi.

However, this ingredient can be highly irritating to your skin and lead to allergic reactions. They can also trigger and/or exacerbate the condition of eczema. What’s worse is that products that include both parabens and phenoxyethanol have increased negative effects.

Artificial Fragrances

A Trojan Horse of ingredients, ‘fragrance’ can basically be read as ‘the undisclosed toxic mix of compounds that make up that scent’.

With the lack of regulation from the FDA, companies are free to generalize ingredients like diethyl phthalate under the catch-all term ‘fragrance’.

Products that use essential oils are great substitutes that smell great and are safe to most.

Phthalates

Phthalates are as impossible to avoid as parabens. They are present in plastics, lipstick, and even the food that we eat.

Phthalates help achieve the creamy consistency in body lotions and creams, while also increasing the staying power of added fragrance. But the harm far outweighs the benefits.

Phthalates are linked with skin irritation, adverse reproductive outcomes in both women and men, type II diabetes and insulin resistance, obesity, allergies, and asthma.

Mineral Oil

This was one of the first “BAD” ingredients that I ever learned about when starting my journey to lower tox living.

Also known as petrolatum or petroleum jelly, is the most widely used ingredient, after water, in the industry. Its appeal lies in the low cost, easy availability, and supposed moisturizing abilities.

Even though mineral oil is generally recognized as safe to use by the FDA, it’s when it is not properly purified that it becomes problematic. Impure mineral oil contains traces of PAHs – known carcinogens harmful to human health. Some even classify it as a xenohormone (environmental hormones produced outside of the human body), that interferes with the normal function of the endocrine system

ETHANOLAMINE COMPOUNDS (MEA, DEA, TEA)

Ethanolamines are surfactants, meaning they reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved; and help remove dirt and grease. While ethanolamines are generally considered safe when used briefly in rinse-off products, there is strong evidence to suggest that they have an adverse effect during prolonged exposure on human skin, immunity, and the respiratory system.

Cocamide DEA (derived from coconut oil) specifically has also been linked to cancer.

POLYETHYLENE GLYCOLS (PEGS)

While some PEG compounds have been deemed safe for cosmetics, certain forms—specifically PEG-4, PEG-7, PEG4-dilaurate, and PEG 100—require ethylene oxide (a toxic nerve gas from WWI that’s lethal in even small doses) during manufacturing.

Other forms—PEG-6, PEG-8, PEG-32, PEG-75, PEG-150, PEG-14M, and PEG-20M—can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, not only a known carcinogen but found to form explosive peroxides when combined with oxygen.

Additionally, there has been some evidence linking them to organ toxicity, especially in large IV doses and for those with underlying problems.

Since there’s such a small way of knowing offhand which forms are safe, PEGs should be avoided in general.

FORMALDEHYDE AND FORMALDEHYDE-RELEASING PRESERVATIVES

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified formaldehyde as a carcinogen.

As one of the worst ingredients for the skin, it’s also been shown to induce dermatitis, even from short-term use.

It can potentially be absorbed through the skin and may cause irritation and other adverse effects, with increased risk for children because of their larger surface area to body weight ratio.

 

Ingredients to avoid in Cleaning Products

In addition to the ingredients to avoid in laundry care products, here’s more that you should watch out for when it comes to cleaning.

Trisclosan

Triclosan is an aggressive antibacterial agent that can promote the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.

Bleach

Chlorine bleach can be unsafe because its fumes are toxic, especially for people with asthma or allergies. Bleach can also release chlorine gas when mixed with other chemicals.

Bleach can cause chemical burns when it comes into contact with skin, and produces fumes that irritate the lungs, nose, eyes and throat. Chlorine can even become a thyroid disrupter, affecting hormones and even leading to cancer..

Perchloroethylene

It has been proven that Perc is a neurotoxin, as well as being a ‘possible carcinogen.’ People who live close to dry cleaners often report neurological problems, including dizziness and confusion.

Quarternary Ammonium Compounds (aka QUATS)

Quats present many of the same issues as tricolosan, as they are another form of antimicrobial. They irritate the skin and can be harmful when breathed in.

2-Butoxyethanol

You’ll often find 2-butoxyethanol in household and window cleaners, giving them a sweet smell. It is a ‘glycol ether,’ a strong solvent that causes sore throats. At high levels, it can also cause severe liver and kidney damage and pulmonary edema.

Ammonia

Ammonia is known for evaporating without leaving streaks or smudges behind, making everything sparkling clean. However, it is a strong irritant for the skin, lungs, and throat, and can lead to chronic bronchitis, asthma, and other health problems. When mixed with bleach, ammonia will create a toxic gas.

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

Lye is harsh and corrosive – if you get just a small amount on your skin (or worse, in your eyes) it can cause severe burns and blindness. If you inhale lye, at the very least you will have a sore throat. At worst, you could end up with permanent lung damage.

 

Ingredients to avoid in toothpaste

Flouride

Too much fluoride can cause fluorosis (discoloured spots on teeth). However, it can also cause a number of serious adverse health effects, including neurological and endocrine dysfunction.

In 2012, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and China Medical University found a strong connection that fluoride may negatively affect cognitive development in children.

Diethanolamine (DEA)

Diethanolamine (DEA) is a product that can be found in antifreeze and brake fluid. In a 1998 study, the topical application of DEA has been linked to cancer in animals & deficiency of the liver.

Artificial Sweeteners

Saccharin, in the past, has been linked to bladder cancer, brain tumours and lymphoma. However, to date, there is no conclusive evidence to support these claims.

Aspartame on the other hand, has been found to affect gut bacteria and increase blood glucose which has been linked to insulin resistance(9).

Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is used to improve a products shelf life, appearance and texture. In large quantities, propylene glycol has been linked to damage of the central nervous system, liver and heart.