When my husband and I woke up to all the toxins in our products, the first thing we switched out was our laundry detergent. If I were to ask you, “is your laundry detergent toxic?” Would you be able to tell me? If you would have asked me a few years ago I would have had no clue! This is because I didn’t know what any of the ingredients were and what they meant.
We are wearing clothes every single day giving the harmful chemicals in our toxic detergents the opportunity to be soaked into our skin pretty much every minute of our lives. We wear the clothes, we dry ourselves off with the towels, we sleep in the sheets, I mean there’s really no getting away from it. Unless we get rid of the products containing the toxic chemicals. Therefore, I’ve put together a full description of the harmful ingredients in our laundry detergents and what they are doing to our bodies so you can feel informed and ready to buy a cleaner product.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
SLS and SLES are surfactants that are unfortunately found in a lot of our products. It is found in almost all of the mainstream laundry detergents you’ll find at the stores. It is used as a foaming agent. A common misbelief is that foaming equals clean. Which is just not the case. It may take some getting used to a cleaning product that doesn’t foam, but in the long run it will be much better for your health. The foam really only causes more harm than it does good and has no real benefit.
SLS and SLES are reported “safe for use” in our cleaning agents, however have been shown to cause skin and eye irritations. In one study, researchers used the product to CAUSE the formation of cataracts just so they could then study the repair of the cataracts with healing agents.
Lastly, SLES is a milder version of SLS that goes through an ethoxylation process which has a possibility to produce 1,4-Dioxane. 1,4-Dioxane is categorized as possibly carcinogenic to humans by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer).
So overall, this is an ingredient to stay away from in all products, not just in laundry detergents.
Ethoxylated ingredients (prefixes PEG- and poly-, suffixes -eth and -oxynol)
Just like SLES, these products go through the ethoxylation process of being mixed with ethylene oxide, which in turn can produce 1,4-Dioxane.
1,4-Dioxane is one of the ingredients included in California’s Prop 65 warning for cancer causing agents. This product is a known carcinogen and has been shown to be harmful to a developing fetus, as well as increased incidences in nasal cavity, gallbladder, and liver tumors after exposure in animal studies.
The prefixes and suffixes above will help to identify ethoxylated ingredients. However, I will list below others found in common household, beauty, and self care products:
- Acrylates/Steareth-20 Itaconate Copolymer
- Ammonium Capryleth Sulfate
- Ammonium Pareth-25 Sulfate
- Ammonium Myreth Sulfate
- Ceteareth -20
- Cocamidopropyl Betaines
- Disteareth-75 IPDI, -100 IPDI
- Emulsifying Wax NF
- Isosteareth-20
- Steareth – 2, -4, 10, 16, -20, 21
- Isosteareth -2, -10, -20
- Magnesium Laureth Sulfate
- Magnesium Oleth Sulfate
- PEG’s – ingredients listed as a polyethylene glycol or with a PEG- prefix such as PEG-20, PEG-40
- Phenoxyethanol
- Polyoxyethylene
- Polysorbate-20, -40, -60, -80
- Steareth-2, -4, -10, -16, -20, -21
- Sodium Coceth Sulfate
- Sodium Deceth Sulfate
- Sodium Oleth Sulfate
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Sodium Myreth Sulfate
- Sodium Trideceth Sulfate
- Zinc Coceth Sulfate
- Fragrance, Perfume, or Parfum
Who doesn’t love to climb into bed with freshly washed sheets and blankets?
Unfortunately, due to a legal loophole, companies are NOT required to reveal the ingredients in their “fragrance”. One study showed that after a single load of laundry; using detergent and dryer sheets, there were over 25 hazardous pollutants in the air both in the laundry room and outside the air vents. This includes acetaldehyde and benzene which are both carcinogens.
Do you know anyone who has to use a certain laundry detergent due to “sensitive skin”? These synthetic fragrances are a common cause for allergic reactions with the detergent. Skin irritations, migraines, sinus problems, and respiratory issues are just a few of the most common reactions.
Also beware that some detergents labeled “unscented” still have fragrance in them. It is important not to trust what the bottle says, and to always check the ingredients label.
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium benzoate is a preservative commonly used in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Sodium benzoate is a synthetic chemical produced when benzoic acid; is combined with sodium hydroxide. Since sodium benzoate contains a natural ingredient, it is probably safe, right? After all, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Health Protection Branch have pronounced this chemical preservative to be acceptable when consumed in low amounts. In fact, the FDA has granted sodium benzoate GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status. A small percentage of people are hypersensitive to sodium benzoate and can experience asthmatic attacks, hives, or other allergic reactions when they consume the preservative. A more common problem, however, is the combination of sodium benzoate and citric acid and/or ascorbic acid (vitamin C). When these ingredients get together, they form benzene, a cancer-causing chemical associated with leukemia and other blood cancers.
Methylisothiazolinone (MI)
Methylisothiazolinone is a commonly used preservative to extend the shelf life and prevent bacterial growth of many laundry detergents, personal care and cleaning products. It is heavily associated with allergic reactions. Unfortunately, it has been said to be moderately toxic in oral irritation, skin irritation, and eye irritation. In fact, it was the American Contact Dermatitis Society “allergen of the year” in 2013.
Regarding whether MI persists on clothing that have been washed and dried, only a single study has been conducted. In the end, it was determined that MI is removed after a wash cycle and shouldn’t be dangerous. But, when exposed to laundry, such as that in a hotel, people with a MI allergy experience something different. The study also mostly utilized powder detergent, even though liquid detergents are where MI is most common.
This is an ingredient to avoid, especially if you have family members or kids with skin sensitivity, based on the contradictory findings and lack of reliable studies.
Benzisothiazolinone (BIT)
Benzisothiazolinone is similar to methylisothiazolinone. They are both preservatives and they are both known for their allergic reactions. BIT has a low molar mass which allows it to penetrate the skin easily which causes irritation for both skin and eyes. It has also been linked to systemic contact dermatitis via airborne contact.
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QUATs or QACs)
QUATs are commonly added to household products for their disinfecting properties but they can also be used as a surfactant. QUATs can disrupt key cellular processes and have been linked to a broad range of health issues including reproductive and development problems in animals. In one laboratory where studies were completed on mice, the staff switched from a chlorine-based disinfectant to QUATs, which resulted in fertility issues and neural tube defects in the mice. It has also been found that QUATs are resilient on surfaces, and it takes months to get rid of the residue. So, it is crucial not to use them on food preparation surfaces. They are related to a broad range of health issues that include skin and eye irritations, as well as respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies. Children are particularly at risk of developing complications. These chemical exposures have been linked to 5% of childhood cancer and 30% of childhood asthma.
Watch for ingredients that end in “ammonium chloride”, some examples are listed below:
- Alkyl dimethyl benzylammonium chloride
- Didecyldimethylammonium chloride
- Dioctyldimethylammonium chloride
- Benzalkonium chloride
- Benzethonium chloride
- Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
- Behentrimonium chloride
- Cetrimonium chloride
- Stearalkonium chloride
- Methylbenzethonium chloride
- Cetylpyridinium chloride
- Hexamethylenetetramine chloroallyl chloride (aka Quaternium-15)
Products that are labeled as “antimicrobial” or “antibacterial” most likely contain QUATs.
Optical Brighteners
Optical brighteners are used in laundry detergents to remove stains – except that’s exactly what they DON’T do. We could actually just call them cover-ups because all they do is coat our fabrics with a substance that reflects visible light so you just can’t see the stain.
Naturally, this product is an eye, skin, and lung irritant. Are you seeing a common pattern here?. And because the water from our washing machines does go right back into our water ways, it’s important to note that this ingredient is extremely toxic to aquatic life as well.
Benzene (benzyl acetate and dichlorobenzene)
This ingredient was mentioned above in the fragrance section, but unfortunately this carcinogen (cause cancer) deserves its own section. This chemical is absorbed into our bodies both by inhalation and ingestion, and while I don’t expect you’re drinking a gallon of laundry detergent, we are certainly smelling our laundry, are we not?
Benzene products are irritating to the eyes, respiratory tract, and can even cause issues in the central nervous system. The link between benzene and cancer has largely focused on leukemia and other cancers of blood cells which your entire body is composed of! Scary stuff!
Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB)
American Contact Dermatitis Society 2004’s “Allergen of the Year”. People with sensitivities to this chemical experience contact dermatitis – itchiness, redness, and tightness in the skin. Severe reactions have included sores and blisters as well.
This product has a few names as well including, but not limited to:
- 1-propanaminium
- hydroxide inner salt
- CADG
- cocamidopropyl dimethyl glycine
- disodium cocoamphodipropionate
- Phenoxyethanol
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative, stabilizer, and even found in the list of some fragrances. Japan’s Standards for Cosmetics have limited the use of this ingredient, and the European Union has labeled it as an irritant and classified it as toxic or harmful especially when used in products used around the mouth and lips.
In 2008, the FDA warned against using a specific nipple cream that contained phenoxyethanol due to it suppressing infants’ central nervous system and causing diarrhea and vomiting in breast-fed babies.
A list of ways Phenoxyethanol could be labeled:
- phenoxyethanol
- 2-phenoxyethanol, euxyl k 400
- 2-hydroxyethyl phenyl ether
- 2-phenoxy-ethanol
- 1-hydroxy-2-phenoxyethane; phe
- 2-phenoxyethyl alcohol
- ethanol, 2-phenoxy-
- ethanol, 2phenoxy
- ethylene glycol, monophenyl ether
- phenoxytol
- 2-phenoxyethanol
- Dyes
Dyes are everywhere!
They are in our foods, clothes, and even laundry detergents. To no surprise, these dyes do nothing at all for our laundry. They have no cleaning power whatsoever. However, they are a large culprit for unexplained rashes and allergies. A lot of the dyes used are carcinogens and almost all of them are endocrine disruptors which means that they mess with our hormones.
There are many companies making products out there that obviously do not care about our health. However, there are quite a few that do! It can be overwhelming to search for these products, so I did some of the searching for you and I created a list of safe and non-toxic laundry detergents for you.
