The Great Debate: Phenoxyethanol
Last week we were asked in the comments to explain our stance on phenoxyethanol after it showed up in a product in our Friday Deal. First, full transparency: We didn’t realize that phenoxyethanol was in this product until after the post went up. It was an oversight due to some excitement and haste on our part and being mere mortals, we messed up. It’s not to say we wouldn’t have done the post anyway—but we should have combed the ingredients list first, just like we always do, and included a mention of its presence in the post. At the same time, we’re not losing sleep over it either. In a second we’ll tell you why.
What is phenoxyethanol? It’s an ingredient that is now ubiquitous in cosmetics. It’s often used as an alternative to parabens (there is a great piece—and debate—about it over here, at Truth in Aging), it gets a 4 on Skin Deep, and it’s on our list of 20 ingredients in the book to avoid. The data about its safety is conflicting, because data about these things is always conflicting, but we’re of the mind that in general, the ingredient should be taken out of products. While many clean companies initially thought it was a safe replacement for other preservatives, they later found out it wasn’t so clean after all. So what to do?
In the book we put this ingredient on our black list. But we’d like to quote the book directly here to remind everyone of our philosophy on such matters. Here’s how we prefaced the black-list section:
“We’ve included [this list] here for quick reference, but remember this: not all ingredients are created equal, so use that logical mind of yours. If several of these are showing up on a bottle, you can write the brand off with confidence. If just one appears on an otherwise clean list, then head to Skin Deep for the better picture, or call the company directly to ask them about it.”
One thing we have tried to avoid like the plague is extremism. Another thing we avoid: Picking fights, in-fighting in the natural beauty world, and finger pointing. For us, there’s a gigantic difference between companies that are greenwashing and companies that have one or two questionable ingredients in otherwise clean formulations. Some of our favorite companies still use it in certain formulations—like eye pencils, for instance, or other makeup—but not in other products, and literally all our favorite retailers carry brands that use phenoxyethanol—if not the actual product that contains it (and kudos if you’re being that strict!). But this is to say, the ingredient is still very popular in naturals! But it’s on its way out, and we are very, very happy about that.
So our stance is this: We want ALL clean companies to take it out. We also understand that this can’t happen overnight. Many of these companies have worked really hard to put out clean products, and reformulating is a tall and expensive order. Like we said, we avoid it. But we’re not about to throw the baby (or, um, natural beauty company) out with the bathwater.
As for Juice Beauty, they’ve been actively working with their lab to take it out for some time now, and it’s not in any of their new products. They’re also updating their site to feature full ingredient lists.
Another brand we like, Rare Elements—which uses it in its shampoo, but not in its conditioner, which we do use—is also working on taking it out. Owner John Amato explained to us that when he decided to use it, it was still considered safe, but that he’s spent the last two years now trying to reformulate the shampoo without it.
So for us, for now, we are going to judge its use on a case by case basis. Like we wrote in the book, we think there’s a logical way to approach this stuff that encourages progress. And we are ALL about progress.
So now we want to hear from you: Is phenoxyethanol a deal breaker? Is a company’s transparency enough for you to support a brand that uses it—and there are many more that use it, other than the ones we have named here—or do you look for perfectly clean products?
Let the debate begin!
I’m not en extremist and I think I might be fine using something like an eyeliner than contained phenox, but sunscreens and moisture lotions that contain it and are spread over large areas of skin give me pause due to the increased likelihood of absorption.
I leapt to try Juice Beauty’s deal last week after glancing at the ingredients on their website (seriously, why is phenox NOT listed as an ingredient on their website??), and I regret to say I believe I will be returning my hasty purchase when it arrives, as keeping them would feel too much like two steps forward, one step back. Disappointing.
I do look forward to trying their products once they are reformulated, though.
I avoid phenoxyethanol! I do think that is a smart idea, O, to avoid it in products that are applied to large areas of your body.
I see it as a compromise. I do have a few greener beauty products since reading the book that do contain propyl glycol and/or phenox, but they were also massively more affordable than other options (ie $4 desert essence moisturizer from vitacost) and I did jump on the friday deal as it was GREAT deal. then again, using plain ol’ jojoba or another oil as a moisturizer instead would be the best bet. and I can mix mineral makeup with lotion or oil for a tinted moisturizer, but if I do like the juice beauty tinted moisturizer, I’ll be sure to try out the reformulation.
I know you said in your friday deals post that you wanted to check out this tinted moisturizer–are you guys still going to even with the phenox, or are you going to wait till reformulation?
I am totally on board with your approach, in the book and on this blog. You help people make informed decisions and have open discussions about these issues, avoiding extremism. This is the way true change will happen. You SO Rock!
For me, the phenoxy is a dealbreaker. Not necessarily for a whole company, but for an individual product for sure. My conversion to all clean is recent (like, a few months), and before that I THOUGHT I was using clean products, but every single one of my skin care products had phenoxy. I ditched the lines, with much sadness, but it’s really turned out great. I don’t want even one thing with phenoxy or anything else I have deemed in appropriate for my personal use. Who knows what the cumulative exposure has been for me with years of using products containing these ingredients? Time for a complete stop. I just want to get far away from the bad stuff. I guess part of it is feeling like if I say, well just this one product with this one bad ingredient, then that sort of “breaks the seal.” It would be easier to make other compromises later. Also, my sensitivities to food and personal products have been increasing in recent years, and there’s no reason to take any chances.
Overall I support the not throwing out the product/company/baby with the one bad ingredient/bathwater philosophy. It’s just a personal choice to go hard core with the clean thing.
Thank you once again for the inspiration and great information!
Wow weird! Someone just told me Intelligent Nutrients uses it. No end to the head scratching on this one….
http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/fuq-hair-care
I found this post on Truth in Aging.com written by Tracy regarding bacteria, yeast, fungi and molds that can have serious effect from products that are improperly preserved. It’s a tough call and the verdict is still out so I don’t think I’m ready to jump on the extreme bandwagon. I “m looking for a healthier alternative yet I’m not willing to give up the product performance in order to be “green” . So I look for products that try to use healthier ingredients and if in fact there may be one or two ingredients that may have a low risk factor then I’m fine with it. The truth is I’m sure we can find something wrong with anything we put on and in our bodies. I, like most women are looking for a healthier alternative that delivers results. So I think it’s important for bloggers and their readers to stop nit picking on the companies that are trying and focus on the bigger companies that know how to hide behind their marketing. Here’s the post from Tracy.
Jan 25th, 2009
I would like to add a word of caution here regarding using products that DONT contain a proper preservative and that DO contain a liquid such as water, milk, aloe vera etc etc. ie: lotions, creams, shampoos etc. A lotion or cream that is being preserved with essential oils or some other so called natural preservative does have a very real risk of growing very harmful molds, yeasts, bacteria, fungi etc. Just because you cant see it doesnt mean it isnt there! People think just because you cant see mold growing on the product that it is ok. I know of people that have contracted SERIOUS and skin scarring conditions and bacteria from using improperly or unpreserved products. I would also be very leary of any lotion or cream that says it is 100% natural and contains nothing that has a preservative action or only contains natural essential oils as a preservative or Vit E etc etc. Not everyone is honest about their ingredients and some jump thru loop holes to avoid putting them on the label. We have tested MANY natural preservative systems that contain essential oils and natural ingredients over the years and have yet to find one that worked effectively enough to be able to put it on the shelf for sale. And just because it is natural doesnt mean it is always safe. Many essential oils have very harmful and life threatening effects. Instead, choose responsible “as natural as possible” products that dont contain the hot ingredients.
I’ve never tried any Juice products, but the fact that they don’t list full ingredients on their website (right now anyways) is a huge turn off for me, especially because they don’t even say “key ingredients” or anything else that lets you know they aren’t complete. I did find the full ingredients on Sephora’s website.
Phenoxyethanol is a dealbreaker for me. I won’t write off a whole company for using it, I just won’t use products that have it in them.
Stephanie of Bubble and Bee has written a couple good articles on it:
http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/todays-chemical/2011/2/28/phenoxyethanol.html
http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/most-controversial/2009/11/9/a-chemist-takes-stephanie-to-task-on-phenoxyethanol.html
@Siobahhn, yes, I just discovered that about Intelligent Nutrients too. They only use phenoxyethanol in their Harmonic shampoos, and while I was a bit puzzled initially, I see absolutely no reason not to continue loving IN wholeheartedly. Truthfully, I’m on the fence about phenoxyethanol–it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. Maybe because I really haven’t seen any hard evidence of its harm. Do you have something that you can share with us? I like to be informed and do my research, but I also try to remember that just because something is a synthetic, does not make it inherently harmful. So I guess with this one, I’m still in the not panicking yet phase.
I wrote Nature of Beauty about IN’s use of this synthetic preservative, totally puzzled after I was perusing the NOB site, and received a great response from Terri Bly (love her!). She sent over IN’s standard reply as well, which I’ll share here:
Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Shampoo and Conditioner were formulated with the Skin Deep database in mind, choosing the highest performing, plant-based ingredients which rank low on the Skin Deep Database We also sought the preservation system which ranked lowest on Skin Deep—the one with the fewest toxicity concerns, particularly versus parabens.
If a consumer determines Phenoxyethanol is unacceptable for their use, we offer the USDA Organic and the Soil Association Certified products.
Phenoxyethanol is synthetic (not plant based). It is allowed in the Whole Foods Premium Standard, which we carry on these products. It’s also within the guidelines of various cosmetic standards from around the world including the UK’s Soil Association Standard.
Also, @Kim, that is a very real fear of mine as well, which is part of the reason I’ve relaxed about phenoxyethanol. I’d really like to hear more about preservatives.
I try to avoid anything with ‘eth’ in it in general, as well as anything synthetic, but will make a few exceptions if I really love the product and, as you say, there are only 1 or 2 questionable ingredients near the end of the list. It would be great to be 100% pure all the time, but in that’s not always possible, so I’m willing to be flexible here and there.
The thing that really bugged me about Juice Beauty is how sneaky the company is about it. After you posted the product I went to their site and thought – wow, every ingredient has a benefit! Which is exactly the moment my suspicion kicked in, and I noticed it was a “featured” ingredient list. I also noticed that only some of their products were USDA certified, another tip-off that their other products were perhaps not what they seemed. I found the full list on another website, and was very disappointed, and a little ticked off.
I feel the way they represent their ingredient list on their website is, quite frankly, deliberately misleading, and that is a huge, huge turn off for me from any company, but especially from a company branding itself as natural and organic. Perhaps it’s unfair, but I do feel they should be held to a higher standard than a company like, say, L’Oreal, which doesn’t promise pure or clean, just look and performance.
I work at Juice Beauty and wanted to respond to some of the comments above.
As I see it, they break down into to categories.
1. The use of Phenoxyethanol
Like a few other brands, when we decided to use phenoxyethanol we were under impression that it was a safe substitute for other toxic ingredients and it was considered so quite universally. Since learning about it’s potential harm, we’ve been working to re-formulate the products that use it to no longer contain that ingredient. Within the next few months, we’ll be re-releasing our products so that they no longer contain that ingredient. It has taken time but we are committed to remaining at the forefront of organic, healthy, clean beauty products. Know that even before the debate above, we’ve been working on removing phenoxyethanol.
I completely understand that some people feel that they don’t want to use products as long as they contain that ingredient, including Juice Beauty. I respect and understand that. How could I not as someone who believes in the clean movement. Hopefully, when we come out with the next generation of our products without that ingredient, you’ll try one of our products for the first time or again.
2. A lack of complete ingredient list on our website
When we first launched the site, not putting full ingredients on the site was more about clutter than it was about the ill intention of wanting to hide something. I think our track record in the space shows that we are actually leaders at believing and producing clean beauty products. We actually made the decision to include a full ingredient list for every product a few months back and have been planning to launch that when we release the re-design of our site (about 3-6 months out).
I realize that some folks might see the lack of complete ingredient list as duplicitous. I hope that you can believe me when I say that I’m sorry that we don’t have a complete list, that it will be there soon and that our intentions weren’t to deceive.
Lastly, I just want to say that this community is enormously important to us. In many ways, we consider you our voice. We’re certainly not always perfect and there will be times when we are playing catch up in terms of having only the cleanest ingredients as new information comes to light. But I think to date we’ve had a pretty good track record of setting a high standard as well as listening to what you have to say and responding with what you want. Hopefully that will be affirmed when we you see the next generation of products without phenoxyethanol and a full ingredient list on our site.
Ultimately, we want to work with you and will continue to work for your support.
If you have any questions and want to talk more about our intentions, ingredients and products please feel free to contact me directly:
Shankar Desai
shankar@juicebeauty.com
I’m the new director of Juice Beauty online and definitely want to hear from you, listen and participate in the conversation.
Thanks.
@Shankar, my intention is not to disregard your very thoughtful response to our concerns, rather to have you add to it (if you’re so inclined!). Juice Beauty is currently using phenoxyethanol to preserve its products. How will the company make certain, without this preservative, that all items are–above all else–safe? I’m asking, specifically, for you to address what Kim has posted from Truth in Aging.com. I’m reading more and more about the lapses in essential oils/vitamins in preserving natural personal care products–and for the need for synthetic alternatives. Can you help put my–and anyone else a bit freaked by this–brain at ease?
Looking forward to your response.
I got my tinted moisturizer I got with the friday deal and I’m excited but it says “exp: 6/11″ on one of the sides of the boxes. to me, two to three months is NOT a lot long time to finish up a product. I don’t know the friday deal was used to clear out old stock or if this is how long everyone has to finish up the product if they order it at a not discounted price, but without phenox wouldn’t that window of time be even smaller for safety reasons?
Hey ladies!
Thanks for answering my question with regards to your position on phenoxyethanol. I really appreciate your honest explanation that it was an oversight and you didn’t know the Juice Beauty products contained this ingredient. You are so right – many, many brands use it – both conventional and natural brands, unfortunately. Just like my mama would say “just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t make it right”. After researching this ingredient a few years ago (http://figandsage.blogspot.com/2009/11/on-soapbox-ingredient-spotlight.html) and again a couple months ago, I didn’t and still don’t, feel at all comfortable using or promoting products that contain it so I don’t take it on a case-by-case basis, if the product contains it – it’s a deal breaker. I don’t call that extremism, I call it: consumer demand drives company decisions. If enough consumers demand natural companies stop using it by buying products that don’t contain it they will re-formulate. We can’t ask companies to remove it if we are simultaneously using/promoting products that contain it. I don’t necessarily write off the entire brand if one of their products has it (I just don’t use/support that product) but I do let the brand know I’m disappointed they’re using it and urge them to swap it out with a less concerning preservative system.
Phenoxyethanol’s possible negative neurotoxic effects are alarming and I don’t subscribe to a philosophy that there haven’t been enough studies done to prove it is harmful so that means it’s (probably) safe (as many have told me); likewise, there haven’t been enough studies to prove it’s safe either. There’s no reason why we should take the chance and risk it either – because there are PLENTY of great natural / organic products that don’t contain it. My firm belief is that this ingredient should not be used in any product that claims to be “natural” or “organic”. Even if a brand has good intentions and uses otherwise great ingredients I’m not going to use their product with phenoxyethanol because a). I’m not convinced it’s harmless and b). there’s no way we are going to get brands to re-formulate if we continue to use/promote their products that contain it.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this. You two are doing a great thing and really making consumers stop and think about what’s in their beauty products and why it matters. I appreciate your passion for educating consumers and that you dig deep into issues like this that matter. I’m also very glad to read Shankar’s comment above indicating Juice Beauty is reformulating their products to exclude this ingredients. Good for them!!
@Elizabeth,
Thanks for your response, and great point/question. I also appreciate the tone of your response and the sweet email.
To date we have yet to hit the impasse where natural and safety have been mutually exclusive choices. In the case, where a natural ingredient has been a reason for potential concern, we’ve re-formulated to find a natural replacement that is equally effective and also safe. And as more information continues to come to light, this is something that will be an ongoing process. We pride ourselves on results and believe that the most effective products come from natural ingredients — and I think our products have shown this. We’re not natural simply for natural sake so we’d never forgo something like safety just to keep natural ingredients — our response however is always first to find a natural replacement for a naturals problem.
I hope that answers your question.
Thanks for the response and explanation Shankar. As someone who has worked in communications and graphic design for years, I don’t believe that having an uncluttered website and a full ingredient list are mutually exclusive choices. Although I understand your intention is otherwise, the way you list your products currently is deceptive to the unwary shopper. I look forward to seeing your new website with a full list of ingredients in the coming months.
On the matter of preservatives raised by Elizabeth and Kim, I have a couple of points to add to the discussion. I’ve been using BDIH and USDA certified products from companies like Weleda, Dr. Haushcka, Badger and Dr. Bronner’s for years and have never had an issue with bacteria or mold. These companies are highly respected in the natural beauty world. Weleda has been in business since 1921, and Dr. Haschka and Dr. Bronner’s are over 30 years old. I have never heard of any of their products causing illness due to a lack of synthetic preservatives.
However, there is a caveat: if you are using natural products, you can’t expect them to have as long a shelf life as conventional products. You need to pay attention to the little open jar logo that tells you when the product should be tossed out. That’s why I usually buy smaller sizes of natural products instead of great big jars. In fact, throwing out make-up after about a year is probably a good idea anyway, even if you’re using the stuff with synthetics, because of the bacteria build up from brushes etc.
I wasn’t sure if you got my last post so I shortened it.
In my earlier post I mentioned the serious effects that can occur due to improperly preserving a product. I’ve since then found a few links that everyone should see regarding how serious this problem can be if your natural products develop bacteria.
I can’t stress how important it is for bloggers to do their research, you might think your warning everyone about possible health concerns when in fact you could be leading them down the wrong path. Just goes to show you that not knowing the facts and the potential consequences that may occur could lead to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Bacteria found in products can lead to Pseudomonas: Link from HealthLine
Of the two million nosocomial infections each year, 10% are caused by P. aeruginosa. The bacterium is the second most common cause of nosocomial pneumonia and the most common cause of intensive care unit (ICU) pneumonia. Pseudomonas infections can be spread within hospitals by health care workers, medical equipment, sinks, disinfectant solutions, and food. These infections are a very serious problem in hospitals for two reasons. First, patients who are critically ill can die from a pseudomonas infection. Second, many Pseudomonas bacteria are resistant to certain antibiotics, which makes them difficult to treat. http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/pseudomonas-infections
Anything that contains water (ie creams, gels, lotions, etc) is a paradise for bacteria, yeast, fungi and molds, and the natural sugars in plant extracts are their favorite snack food.Bacteria is a fact of life in cosmetics, foods and pretty much any organism that contains even a trace of water. David Steinberg has trademarked the saying when it comes to bacteria, “Remember, Preservatives are Safer than Bacteria”
Also I beg to differ with Raspberry Swirl, check this link out on Truth in Aging.com.
http://truthinaging.com/hair/why-products-need-preservatives
@Kim Let’s not get lost in the weeds here. First: In addition to being bloggers we are also journalists and the authors of a thoroughly researched book. We do our homework and we are not misleading anyone. Second: We have never at any point said—or even thought—that cosmetics don’t need preservatives. Some definitely do. What we are debating, as this post by Alexandra and our thoughtful commenters make clear, is WHAT is used to preserve a product. Parabens and phenoxyethanol are not the only way to keep bacteria etc at bay.
Kim, as one of the other commenters in the article points out, mould can grow on any brand of shampoo container left in a wet shower caddy or moist bathroom. In fact I’ve had mould grow on the lid of a bottle of Head and Shoulders, which is anything but natural. Although I hate to counter anecdotal evidence with more anecdotal evidence, I’ve used that same product and never had this problem. As I mentioned earlier, if you choose to use natural products you do have to be more aware of their shelf life than with other kinds of products. For some, the pay off of less synthetic ingredients is worth the hassle of replacing your product more often. I do not believe that reputable companies who have been in business for decades are giving people deadly skin infections without any kind of consequences.
I feel much the same way about my skin care products as I do about my food. If it doesn’t rot at some point, I don’t want it. I pay attention to how (and how long) I store and take care of my natural products just like I do my fresh food. I pay attention for changes in a product’s smell or appearance and buy from companies I trust to use a good natural preservative system. It’s always good to be concerned, vigilant, and question the safety of everything we use. For me I find far fewer worries with the clean product lines I’m using now, versus my previous semi-clean lines.
Our aim is simple and true, to create produce and market the world’s most natural safe and effective skincare range. In order to do live up to this we live by a mantra – if in doubt take it out. When Living Nature began it’s crusade 23 years ago we were trailblazing the natural category we started by stating seven no’s in the ingredients, no paraben, no synthetics no nothing that was identified and mentioned by the EWG as of concern to health therefore unsafe. Today we have over 500 no’s. The safecosmeticsdatabase.com currently lists Living Nature as between 0-3 on the low hazard ratings – we are very proud of this accomplishment for one simple reason. This fact provides retailers all around the world the peace of mind that when a customer asks for natural they are asking for safe when they are asking for safe they are asking for truth – there is no point in lying to consumers, they’ll simply walk away and never ever come back to you. By providing retail professionals with a truthful proven healthy safe and effective proposition to recommend to their loyal customers we create the virtuous cycle of business building. By no means is this easy, if it was it wouldn’t be called work – every day there are changes and everday we are improving and reformulating to meet our annual BDIH audit commitments and submitting new formulations for certification – this costs millions of dollars each year – we talk about our active ingredients we never talk about our active management of our truth which is to remain above reproach. If in doubt take it out.
Louise Henderson
Global Marketing Manager, Living Nature 100% natural skincare made of New Zeland
Thanks Siobhan, that’s great could you tell us your suggestions and the research you’ve found regarding any data on the alternative preservatives that will work just as well? I started to look at what other companies are using and in fact the following companies; Intelligent Nutrients, Renew, Nude, Ren, just to name a few, also use phenoxyethanol . I find it highly unlikely that all of these reputable companies got it wrong and were trying to hide something from us. So in my opinion I think everyone might be jumping the gun on Phenoxyethanol. It seems to me that if all of them are using it to preserve their products, then maybe they might know something that we don’t. From what I’ve found regarding the harmful effects of bacteria I’m assuming this play’ s a big role in why they’ve decided to add it to their products.
Look, I’m not trying to be the bully on the block. I just think it’s important for all of us to be responsible with the information we share with each other.
As I said before I personally look for natural ingredients in my products because I believe in the healing power that plants contain and the results they can deliver. I don’t do this for a living and I don’t have a blog, but I do however like to research the benefits of natural ingredients. What is disappointing to me is that, what little knowledge I have regarding ingredients seems to be more than some of these so called “green watchdog bloggers” like Fig+Sage .
I feel that if anyone is going to give their expert opinion on something and use their scare tactics and the vulnerability of others to boycott products, then they should have a little more qualification other than making a few phone calls and surfing the web to find 1 or 2 articles to base their opinion on.
With that being said I’d like to make a suggestion; I think all so called green experts should also be held to a stringent standard and present both sides of any questionable ingredient. It would be helpful if you gave us the experimental data and the qualifications of the source. I’d also like to see the pros and cons of using or not using certain ingredients. This way I like everyone else can form my own opinion and not get caught up into the hype of every extreme blogger that claims the sky is falling. After all the whole debate on Phenoxyethanol, fails to mention any alternative and or the consequences of not properly preserving products and the effects it can have on our health.
http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/methodsprocesses/61216642.html
My point is this, for those of you casting the first stone on holding companies responsible, I feel it’s equally as important for any purists to set the same standards and be responsible when sharing your information. Otherwise, people won’t know what to believe.
Rebecca, you bring up a good point about looking at the expiration date and storing your products properly. I think it’s important that everyone not jump to conclusions about the mold they find on their bottles that are stored near water (shower/tub). Just so everyone is clear, from what I’ve found so far, Phenoxyethanol helps prevent bacteria, it’s not used to protect the product from mold. The problem with Raspberry Swirls comment is that you said you never had a problem with mold and bacteria with your Dr Haushcka products, and I wanted to show you that others have: http://truthinaging.com/hair/why-products-need-preservatives The truth is you can see mold but you can’t see bacteria, in this particular case you see the mold inside the cap, granted she may have stored her products improperly which is an excellent point Rebecca brought up. However my concern is if you can see mold that close to the actual product then the chances of bacteria growing is possible. I would also like to point out to Raspberry Swirl that you mentioned that only some of the Juice products were USDA certified so you came to the conclusion that and I quote “another tip-off that their other products were perhaps not what they seemed.” I’d like to point out that one of the companies you mentioned in your second post “Weleda” as being BDIH and USDA certified contains the following harmful ingredient, like fragrance: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/brand/Weleda/
So you may want to reconsider your anecdotal evidence of judging a product by a USDA certificate and do some research for yourself. I think you’ll find that by simply using the word fragrance, companies can get away with hiding synthetic ingredients as well as Phenoxyethanol in their formulations.
So back to what this debate is all about; After hearing everyone’s comments I’ve decided that until something better comes along, I’d rather continue to purchase the products that use the globally approved preservative Optiphen/Phenoxyethanol rather than dealing with the harmful effects of bacteria and wasting my money on products that go bad.
http://www.theherbarie.com/Optiphen-pr-146.html
Optiphen™ is ISP’s first globally approved preservative and is an excellent choice for formulations that require a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative system. Optiphen™ is a unique liquid preservative that consists of phenoxyethanol in an emollient base. The combination of these ingredients provides optimized protection against microbial growth from bacteria and yeast while imparting a pleasant feel to the finished product.
It’s a total deal breaker. Pretty bummed you put it on your bad list in the book and now it seems like you’re (gently) going back on what you said. It’s the little things like this that you can’t miss, or you’ll end up coming across as beauty writers not journalists.
AVictory, I don’t think they’re going back on what they said. They are doing exactly what they said, which is to get familiar with companies and look into things for yourself, and don’t necessarily rule out a product if it’s mostly clean but has one or two things that are on the “no” list. That’s not a quote, just my recollection of the gist of one point from the book. For me, phenoxy is a deal breaker, but others may have fewer concerns about it, or have more concerns about lack of a preservative system in which they are confident.
I really appreciate this debate–and I’m glad that Siobahn jumped in with that reminder that we’re not talking about phenoxyethanol versus nothing–we’re talking about phenoxyethanol versus a natural preservative system. The secretly anti-natural chemists at the Beauty Brains seem to agree on this: bacteria needs water (or an aloe vera base) to grow. So choosing a product that eliminates water is the first step in preservation. From there, there seem to be many safe and effective preservatives (e.g. rosemary, neem, combinations of vitamins a and e, etc). And the last level of defense would be an airless pump.
If you purchase a product that isn’t friendly to bacteria (has an oil base), contains bacteria-fighting naturals (rosemary, neem, vitamins, etc), and has no chance of being exposed to air/moisture–wouldn’t you say that’s a well-preserved product?
Here is a great article about natural and synthetic preservatives. While she’s clearly advocating for use of broad spectrum perservatices like phenoxyethanol (checked the ingredients in her company’s products), she does include valuable information about safely using a natural persverative system for products that do not contain water:
http://personalcaretruth.com/2010/06/why-cosmetics-need-preservatives/
Bottom line for me? 1. Look for products that don’t include a water/aloe juice 2. When in doubt, just ask a company for its testing data.
P.S. I should add that I’m not a fan of Personal Care Truth, but I feel like this piece will serve to calm a few of us down.
Hmm… I use Skin Organics (by Ann Webb) and it says in the ingredient list that the Phenoxyethanol comes from Sage Oil.. is this not good either? Please answer!
I am well aware that not all Weleda products are BDIH certified Kim. The same is true of other companies like Aubrey Organics and others. It’s always a clue when shopping for natural products when some of a company’s products are certified and some are not. It should prompt the careful shopper to examine the ingredient list on those products a little more closely. Unfortunately, just because a company makes one really good clean product does not mean that all their products are clean also. The Cosmetics Database is a valuable tool, but one of its flaws is that it makes no distinction between fragrance created with synthetics and fragrance created with essential oils. Since nothing BDIH certified can contain synthetics, anytime fragrance is listed on a BDIH product it is derived from essential oils. Perhaps part of the problem is that BDIH is a European standard, and the Cosmetics Database is U.S. based. I will continue to trust the BDIH and USDA certifications when shopping for synthetic free cosmetics.
Rebecca, it’s more the oversight on promoing a product without reading the ingredient list. I think what Siobhan and Alexandra do is absolutely wonderful, and I understand that many companies have scattered products that use questionable items amongst perfectly clean ones. As a shop owner, it’s imperative for me to do the job for my customers knowing they trust me to provide healthy alternatives for their beauty routines. I expect no less from others in educational positions with clean beauty.
AVictory, this is a good point, and hopefully more companies will be thorough about posting a complete ingredient list online. For the Juice Beauty offer, I looked at the ingredients online and it looks completely clean. I might have bought it and never thought to look on the box. The list on the package does show the phenoxy, and I just happened to be at a store that carried it so I could sample before I ordered online. My understanding is that both the formula and the website are in the process of being updated. Overall that was a good lesson for me in not only checking the ingredients, but even needing more than ONE source of info!
Rebecca, I totally agree and I’m glad companies are changing to suit customers best interests. The future is looking bright!
@Kim: I’m not sure why you are taking this approach/defense after Juice Beauty has indicated they will be removing phenoxyethanol from their products based on new information they have discovered since first formulating the products; which is undoubtedly the same information I have discovered, and the same information Siobhan and Alexandra have discovered (and that many others have discovered). I can assure you I would not hold such opinions without having done research or having knowledge on this topic. I understand your concern and appreciate your interest in using natural products, but let’s be careful when throwing around insults. What would have been much more productive and polite is to simply ask for our sources or links to the data we’ve been pouring over in search of truth and the best for our bodies.
Re: “What is disappointing to me is that, what little knowledge I have regarding ingredients seems to be more than some of these so called “green watchdog bloggers” like Fig+Sage .”
Hi All,
Thank you for all the information you have shared on this site. I’m not sure if anyone is still checking back on these posts, but if so I have another question.I recently tried Juice Beauty and REALLY liked the products. My concern wasn’t as much the pheno as the RETINYL PALMITATE. It rates quite dangerous on EWG. Is there something else to this? Might this be taken out of products soon as well?
Would love to hear!
Thanks for all your help!
Emily
Hey Emily, there’s a lot of confusion over vitamin A—retinyl palmitate is a form of vitamin A, and it may be problematic when used in sunscreens (or other products you wear in the sun). We’re going to do a post soon about the different types of A and the current research. Stay tuned!
Great! You’re always on top of things! Thanks.
I am very glad there’s a long discussion about phenoxyethanol! I just came home with two different brands of facial cleansers from a local organic store and they both carry that scarry ingredient.
One of them is Alba Botanica 8 FL oz Coconut Milk Facial Wash and then the Natural Pioneer Sincer 1959 JASON’s Brightening Apricot Scrubble Facial Wash & Scrub 4 oz. I will be returning these two bottles and in search of a REAL new vegan/organic/all natural certified product again!
I’m a full-time undergrad college student who hopes to find an all around decent, true, and honest facial cleanser that can break down the blackheads on the nose area and face! So I hope to find a nicely-priced product after returning these 2 evil phenoxy carriers because almost everything that is truly organic like Tata Harper’s products are above $50, we got to keep in mind of those people who cant afford to buy products like that!
Oh my goodness, I am very cautious about the products I use on my baby, buying organic and chemical free wherever possible, however I have just checked my Gaiia baby wash and it has phenoxyethanol in it! How can a company that is promoting itself as organic and made from natural ingredients contain this chemical? I am really disappointed.
You simply just cant justify an ingredient that damages the central nervouse system, disrupst the endocrine system, and mostly so cruley tested on animals. Then lets know that the safety date clearly indicates NOT TO BE USED IN A LEAVE IN PRODUCT!!!!! sadly cosmetic companies save money by using such a substandard preservative at the cost of our health! there are other safer options, but at a higher cost that will cut in the brands GP’S so makes one wonder what the real purpose of the product ultimatley is? Making money or serving the consumer. Please dont justify something so harmful when there are alternatives!
Hello
I have been using natural products for more than 20 years. I have tried and have had so many reactions from products using a lot of denatured alcohol as preservatives and lots of essential oils next to other safer preservatives. Many products containing penoxyethanol do not contain alcohol and are not choke full of essential oils. In my book, while I’d prefer an alternative to it, I’m not too concerned if it’s on the bottom of the list. It means that theres maybe 0.2% in it. I prefer that to irritating alcohol on the top of the list (there’s a lot in there). But thats my benchmark.
There is alot of confusion with consumers about how to read msds sheets and EWG gets their wires crossed sometimes and alot of websites spread unecessary fear. Phenoxyethanol has one of the safest toxicology profiles there is in a preservative. People have to remember that certain test results are based on PURE phenoxyethanol being applied to skin, eyes etc and sometimes for extended periods. You can get the same irritation results and toxicity results if you were to put some of the pure natural essential oils on the skin and some of the results are from INTERNAL exposure. You dont drink Phenoxyethanol nor do you apply it in its pure form. Phenoxyethanol is used at less than 1% in cosmetics. There is no chronic health hazards known. Please see below for toxicology results. The biggest irritation was the eyes and that was in PURE form. If I dropped pure peppermint or tea tree oil in your eyes it would burn like crazy. See below.
Phenoxyethanol: Skin Irritation: No skin irritation (rabbit)
Sensitization: Did not cause sensitization on laboratory animals
Mutagenicity: In vivo tests did not show mutagenic effects (Phenoxyethanol)
In vitro tests did not show mutagenic effects
Carcinogenicity: No component of this product present at levels greater than or equal to 0.1% is
identified as a known or anticipated carcinogen by NTP.
No component of this product present at levels greater than or equal to 0.1% is
identified as probable, possible or confirmed human carcinogen by IARC.
No component of this product present at levels greater than or equal to 0.1% is
identified as a carcinogen or potential carcinogen by OSHA.
20024C
I hope this helps put some peoples fears to rest. You really have to be careful who and what websites you listen to.