Organic Personal Care Products Contaminated?
If you missed the press conference last week given by the Organic Consumers Association, then I have a terrible surprise for you.
The Organic Consumers Association conducted a study of personal care products and found almost half of them to be contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane - a petrochemical-based substance that is known to cause cancer. This may not be surprising when it comes to mainstream, everyday products found in supermarkets. However, this substance was also found contaminating ‘all natural’ and products labeled “organic,” and some at higher levels than mainstream products. Many of these (remember, almost half of those tested) are from companies I love - Kiss My Face, Jason, and Nature’s Gate. Worse, this cancer-causing ingredient may not be listed on the label (even hidden or disguised, as we know many food manufacturers do with MSG, which is a topic for another time).
This is truly disheartening news for those of us who not only want the most natural products available, but who also diligently read labels and pay a premium price for what we think is organic and safe.
Take a look at the press conference here:
There is a spot of good news. Of the products tested, those that were free of contaminates were certified USDA organic and thus carried the USDA organic seal, so look for that seal when buying personal care or home cleaning products. You can’t trust the brand name (the word “natural” or “organic” in the name of the product or the company means nothing), nor can you trust claims of organic without that seal. That’s actually good news, because there is a standard and we can easily find products certified to be free of the ingredients we do NOT want in our homes or on our skin.
