The official information that's worth knowing ...

All UK cosmetics and household products, and their ingredients, must be safety tested. The legislation includes a list of 769 chemicals which may not be included in cosmetics and it sets out maximum concentrations of 56 chemicals which can be used as preservatives, together with other restrictions on their use.

Since June 2007, companies which import or manufacture chemicals, including those used in cosmetics and household products, have been required to provide safety data on all their products, together with an assessment of risk, in order to register them under an EU-wide system for testing the effects of chemicals on human health and the environment.

Information from the American Cancer Society, Inc

This has caught my eye ...

One chain email floating through cyberspace says a common ingredient in many health and beauty aids is known to cause cancer. The warning reads: “Check the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottle and see if they have a substance by the name of Sodium Laureth Sulfate or simply SLS. This substance is found in most shampoos, and the manufacturers use it because it produces a lot of foam and it is cheap BUT the fact is that SLS is used to scrub garage floors and it is very strong. It is also proven that it can cause cancer in the long run. I went home and checked my shampoo (Vidal Sasoon), it doesn't contain it; however, others such as Vo5, Palmolive, Paul Mitchell, the new Hemp shampoo, etc. contains this substance."

Email:
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and its chemical cousin sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are known irritants, not known carcinogens. SLS and SLES are powerful surfactants (wetting agents) and detergents. They have industrial uses because they are detergents that exert emulsifying action thereby removing oil and soil. There is no way of knowing where this Internet information comes from but there are a variety of Web sites offering health and beauty products that are SLS-free. According to David Emery and his Urban Legends website, "All these Web sites are maintained by 'independent distributors' for various multi-level marketing companies hawking natural personal care products. As a matter of fact, the majority of URLs returned in a standard Web search on the keywords 'sodium laureth sulfate' all point to versions of the same propaganda."

I think it certainly is worth seeing who would profit from consumers moving away from one product to another but I cannot agree with the scare tactics that they appear to be using!

Is Shampoo Hazardous to Health - the SLS question

There has been a lot in the press regarding SLS - here's a typical question and answer:-

Q. Please inform me about sodium lauryl sulfate in shampoo. A friend told me that just about all shampoos contain this compound, which is also used to clean the oil and sludge off garage floors. Is this true? What are the dangers, if any?

A. I've been getting a lot of questions about sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS, also known as "sodium laurel sulfate" or "sodium laureth sulfate") and, frankly, I'm at a loss to know where this concern comes from.

SLS is a detergent and while it's true that strong concentrations are used for heavy-duty cleaning, that doesn't mean the much lower amounts found in shampoo are unsafe. In trying to track down the source of concern about SLS, I found repeated instances of unsubstantiated, alarmist claims coming mostly from the purveyors of natural shampoos.

It is irresponsible to brand anything a carcinogen without providing the source of information. If SLS is carcinogenic, there should be hard evidence somewhere, but a search of the medical literature failed to turn up any reports of adverse effects from SLS. I did find that, like soap, it can sting if it gets into your eyes and that, at higher concentrations than you'll find in any shampoo, SLS can irritate the skin.

Compare this to similarly alarming reports about diethanolamine (DEA), another shampoo component. Here, a study from the National Toxicology Program linked residual levels of DEA to cancer in laboratory animals. Although the study didn't even address the question of whether DEA can cause cancer in humans, the FDA announced that it would evaluate the data to determine the risk, if any, to consumers. I could find no record that the NTP or the FDA is looking into SLS and no report of a link between SLS and human or animal illness.
SLS has a long history of use in shampoos and other personal care products and overall I don't think you need to worry about it. If you'd rather not take any chances, you should have no trouble finding alternative products that do not contain it.

Following on from Beauty Addicts ...

Breakthrough Breast Cancer – Deodorants and Shaving www.breakthrough.org.uk
Type 'deodorant' into the search box to find a list of articles on the subject of cosmetic links to breast cancer. There is also a special fact sheet summarising their view that no evidence links deodorants, antiperspirants or shaving to breast cancer.

Deodorants, Antiperspirants and Breast Cancerwww.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3943
Cancer Research UK has produced a statement about parabens, the chemicals found in deodorants and antiperspirants that have been linked to breast cancer. They believe at present there is insufficient evidence to link them.

Skin Deep – Cosmetics Safety Databasewww.cosmeticsdatabase.comOnline safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products, by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. EWG is not associated with the manufacturer or distributor of products listed and does not profit from the listing of this information. This is a truly comprehensive database of the chemicals content of cosmetics.

Aromatherapy and your star sign - Scorpio

Here's the next insight into your stars and Aromatherpy as identified by Julie Foster:-

Star sign - Scorpio
Dates - 24th October to 22nd November
Ruler - Mars
Aromatics - Peppermint, Lemon & Lavender
Colour - Scarlet
Element - Water
Season - Winter

Preservatives ...

"....just exhibited at Harrogate Natural Trade show (where I won 'best stand' presented by Janey Lee Grace of Radio 2 and also at Mind Body & show Eastern region Colchester. Lots of interest in natural ingredients and safety. Potions & Possibilities products are made in England so low miles to market and of course much less chemical input needed for stability and long life.

I think sometimes in the quest for 100% natural the safety issues i.e. avoiding fungal infections in the eyes (which can cause blindness) or harmful bacteria growths on the skin can be forgotten. I take the health, well-being and safety of my customers very seriously and therefore formulate naturally but with the minimum of safe preservatives to ensure safety over the life of the product.

I do have some concerns about some of the misinformation and scare mongering that is in the press. Please email me at julie@potions.co.uk if you would like more information - you may also find the following site useful www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/shampoo.asp"

Regards, Julie