Poisonous, toxic, maybe cancerous? What you are about to read may alarm you. Afterward, you may never look at your favorite soap or body wash the same way. But first, take a look at the ingredients commonly found in your most popular brand name soaps and body washes.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Paraben, Triethanolamine (Tea), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Mineral Oil, Sodium Tallowate, Lard, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sulfonate olefin, bht, fragrance, artificial colors, and titanium dioxide: not only can these ingredients cause and/or irritate known skin conditions such as dermatitis, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis, but they are reported to be much more dangerous to health.
Four common culprits up close
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS/SLES) are anionic surfactants used to make body washes, body washes, face washes, foaming products, laundry detergents, engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and more. According to the MSDS, these surfactants cause severe skin and eye irritation and contact with skin, eyes, and clothing should be avoided. Also, when combined with other chemicals, it can create nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are carcinogenic and related to cancer. SLS and SLES are reported to be able to damage the skin’s immune system by causing the layers to separate and become inflamed. These two surfactants will usually be disguised as “comes from coconut”.
Parabens are common preservatives found in soaps, cosmetics, and deodorants and will have one of four prefixes: methyl, ethyl, butyl, and propyl. Some studies have concluded that parabens are safe and do not pose an immediate threat to the health of users.
However, other studies, such as one by UK scientists, revealed that 18 out of 20 breast tumor samples tested had high concentrations of parabens. They were able to support their findings with the fact that parabens copy the hormone estrogen, known for its role in the development of breast cancer. [1]
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a synthetic additive containing toluene. Toluene is a poison. According to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), toluene can cause respiratory problems, dizziness, drowsiness and, in high concentrations, death. Toluene also irritates the skin, eyes, and lungs.
Triethanolamine (TEA), like all amines typically found in soaps, body washes, and creams, contains nitrogen that can create nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are carcinogenic and related to cancer.
Your best defense is education
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved all of the above ingredients for consumer use. The claim is that in small amounts, these ingredients are not harmful. However, the truth is that the FDA cannot and will not offer a guarantee that an ingredient approved by them is safe. And how can they do it, when long-term studies are not done in control settings? All they can really do is hope for the best and, if something tragic happens, pull all products containing these harmful ingredients from the market and issue a warning. This is simply not good enough.
1 “Significance of detection of p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters (parabens) in human breast tumors.” Journal of Applied Toxicology.
