Hold that Shampoo! A Natural Products Scare Comes to Light

An article in this month's Common Ground highlights a scary development in the natural products aisle: 1,4 dioxane, a known carcinogen, is found in 46 out of 100 personal care products marketed as organic or natural. Top-selling brands such as JASON Pure Natural & Organic, Giovanni Organic, and Nature’s Gate Organics were among the culprits. The tests were conducted by author David Steinman and the non-profit organization Organic Consumers Association (OCA). The news came to light apparently in March at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim.

“These companies got caught with their pants down,” says David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and longtime critic of natural brands who make misleading organic claims. “There is an expectation they’re held to a higher standard, and they’re not living up to that expectation.”

In Bronner’s view, products claiming to be “organic” should not contain carcinogenic petrochemicals, and should instead meet the criteria of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program — a standard created for food that some companies feel is too strict for personal care products.

There are some shockers in this new development, with even Stella McCartney's organic line coming under scrutiny for not being truly organic, and Whole Foods having to revamp its natural body care line to rid it of this known carcinogen.

What's in your shampoo? It may be time to check the bottle. By the way, the article suggests the following substitutions:

Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel: 20.1 ppm* (substitute EO Nourishing Shower Gel or ZIA Fresh Cleansing Gel With Sea Algae instead)

Alba Passion Fruit Body Wash: 18.2 ppm (try Burt’s Bees Body Wash, Desert Essence Body Wash or Terr- Essential Organic Cool Mint Body Wash instead)

Citrus Magic 100% Natural Dish Liquid: 97.1 ppm* (swap for Aubrey Organics Earth Aware Household Cleanser)

Nutribiotic Super Shower Gel Shampoo with GSE (fresh fruit): 32.2 ppm (for a cleaner clean, try EO Voluminizing Shampoo, Dr. Hauschka Apricot and Sea Buckthorn Shampoo or Head Organics Clearly Head Shampoo)

*parts per million