Spotting the Chemicals

Another guest post this week. This one is a really helpful one for sorting out the complicated world of chemicals and buying better products for your kids by Stephanie, the Ecoblogical Mommy blogger :

In my last post “Is your shampoo putting you at risk for Cancer?”I recommended safer store bought products and natural homemade hair and body wash alternatives. This week I want to teach you how to fish rather than cooking your supper. We have to make informed decisions about what goes into our bodies. We need to educate ourselves on the types of ingredients that should and should not be in the products our family uses every day. Babies and children are at greater risk to the dangers of chemicals that hide in skin care products. Babies under the age of 2 are at the greatest risk being ten times more vulnerable to carcinogenic chemicals than adults, and for some cancer-causing agents are up to 65 times more vulnerable. Children from age two to fifteen are three times more vulnerable to carcinogens than adults. Just because adults are less susceptible to the effects of chemicals, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful, especially if we are breastfeeding.

Here are the dirty dozen chemical lists from davidsuzuki.org. The list was a little vague so I added some related chemical names to look for. If you find a product without any of these chemicals, use away!

1. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)

2. Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as "CI" followed by a five digit number (in the 75000 and 77000 series, respectively).

3. DEA(diethanolamine) and DEA related ingredients like cocamide and lauramide -MEA (monoethanolamide)
-TEA (triethanolamine)

4. Dibutyl phthalate

5. Formaldehyde releasing preservatives- DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate as well as Tosylamide/formaldehyde resin which is used in nail polishes

6. Parabens-methylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben, Parahydroxybenzoic acid, Parahydroxybenzoate, Ethylparaben, Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid

7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)

8. PEG compounds (polyethylene glycols) and other ethoxylates may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane. These ingredients usually have chemical names including the letters “eth” (e.g., polyethylene glycol). Propylene glycol and Butylene Glycol are also related chemicals that, like PEGs, functions as a penetration enhancer and can allow harmful ingredients to be absorbed more readily through the skin.

9. Petrolatum Mineral oil and petroleum distillates

10. Siloxanes: cyclotetrasiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane,
cyclohexasiloxane and cyclomethicone Look for ingredients ending in "-siloxane" or "-methicone."

11. Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) or Sodium lauryl sulfate

12. Triclosan


NOTE: Here is a list of chemicals that were not included on the David Suzuki Dirty Dozen list. I have written a letter to the organization and will hear back within a week or so.

Phenoxyethanol is listed on skin deep as a fragrance chemical and preservative. It has a rating of 3-4.

Tocopheryl Acetate is listed on skin deep as being possibly contaminated with a fragrance ingredient and given a rating of 4. However, in my research I found that this is rarely the case and the benefits outweigh the negatives as it is a powerful antioxidant that combats free radical and oxidation damage to your skin.
Potassium Sorbate is listed on skin deep as a fragrance Ingredient and preservative. It has a rating of 3.
Cocamidopropyl betaine is a synthetic surfactant; rated at 5, it has been associated with irritation and allergic contact dermatitis, reactions that could be due to the ingredient itself or to impurities present in it.
Please support the efforts to better our products:

The David Suzuki Foundation states that “A loophole in Canada's Cosmetic Regulations allows manufacturers to list any ingredients they add "to produce or to mask a particular odour" as the generic term parfum. As many as 3,000 chemicals are used in fragrance mixtures, including phthalates, some of which are suspected endocrine disruptors. A single product can include a mixture of dozens or even hundreds of fragrance chemicals. Many of these unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms”. Please go to http://action.davidsuzuki.org/fragrance-petition to ask manufacturers to disclose their ingredients today.



Who am I? I am a first time stay at home mom to a beautiful 2 year old girl. I am a single mom for 50% of the year as my husband to be works away for long periods of time. I love the outdoors, hiking, swimming, camping and pretty much anything there is to do. I live in Newfoundland, Canada so the outdoor adventures can be a challenge. I enjoy music, playing guitar, arts and crafts, sewing and cross stitch. I am an environmentally aware individual working hard to make a lighter carbon footprint by not contributing unnecessary damage to the Earth. It is my goal to inform others that it is never too late to make changes and help begin to restore our planets health - and leave our children and their children a healthier planet to live on.




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