What harmful chemicals are mega corporations including in their shampoos that traditional natural soaps completely avoid? 

 I decided to investigate. I discovered there are numerous chemicals in what seems like a simple product.  While many of these chemicals are considered safe today, further research is often mentioned but never done.  It's possible that in the future, we will find out that some of these substances can have severe long-term side effects, such as cancer or birth defects.

It has become evident that man-made chemicals may offer short-term conveniences but can lead to serious long-term consequences. In contrast, natural ingredients tend not to harm people or the planet.  For instance, plastics that persist in the environment and chemicals that contaminate our water are prime examples of this issue.

I started with the natural, 100% organic, and zero-waste shampoo from Tangie.  How many ingredients does it take to create a good shampoo? In this case, it’s just 10—that's it!  I have used this shampoo myself; it’s great, gets the job done, and lasts a long time.  While I could use it forever, I like to try new products.  There are no weird ingredients or lengthy lists of chemicals, and it works perfectly.  Boom—clean hair!

The other shampoos are not so good.  Native Shampoo also contains 10 ingredients, two of which are synthetic, two are classified as drugs, and one is simply labeled as "fragrance." We have no idea what is hidden under this vague term.  Side note: These are shampoos I found hidden under cabinets and in the back of drawers in my own home. Finally, I looked at Dove Shampoo. 19 ingredients. 4 are synthetic, 1 is petroleum-based, 1 is not recommended at all, EDTA, and of course, Fragrance is on the list.

It's time to rethink what we apply to our hair and scalp and consider the benefits of returning to gentler, more natural alternatives!

Below are all the ingredients for the three shampoos

 TANGIE

 Rosemary, Lime & Lemongrass Shampoo 

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Water, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Blue Mica, Green Mica, Chromium Hydroxide Green, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Lime Essential Oil, Rosemary Essential Oil, phosphate-free. Compostable paperboard packaging

Coconut Oil: comes from the nut (fruit) of the coconut palm. It contains medium-chain fatty acids, including capric acid, caprylic acid, and lauric acid. Has a moisturizing effect when applied to the skin.

Sodium Coco-Sulfate: is a surfactant, so it's partly water-soluble and partly oil-soluble, allowing oil and water to become dispersed. Made from the fatty acids of coconut oil, it's a good palm-free alternative to sodium lauryl sulfate.

A surfactant (aka a surface-active agent) is a substance that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties

Mica: natural shimmer pigment derived from the mineral Muscovite

Chromium hydroxide green: a green pigment. It is mostly synthesized from mineral resources available in the Earth’s crust. But the only problem with it is the difficulty in getting rid of traces of heavy metals from it. However, the FDA has laid down certain allowable percentage limits for it, which do not create any health risk when applied to the skin.

Essential Oil: Made from parts of certain plants like leaves, seeds, barks, roots, and rinds. Makers use different methods to concentrate them into oils. You may add them to vegetable oils, creams, or bath gels. Or you might smell them, rub them on your skin, or put them in your bath. Some research shows that they can be helpful, if you know how to use them the right way.

  Native Shampoo  

Ingredients: Sodium Benzoate. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Salicylate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-10, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Citric Acid, Fragrance.

Sodium Benzoate:  is best known as a preservative used in processed foods and beverages to extend shelf life. Sodium benzoate does not occur naturally. Sodium benzoate is generally considered safe for use in hair care products. Sodium benzoate (according to the European nomenclature E211) is a salt of benzoic acid and is well soluble in water, tasteless, odorless, and due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties, it is a preservative added to food in strictly defined doses. It inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold.

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate: is a mild soap-free cleansing agent known for its ability to mitigate disruption of the skin’s barrier. It is derived from coconut and is regarded as compatible with sensitive skin. It’s an anionic surfactant, meaning a cleansing agent with a negative instead of a positive charge. Anionic surfactants are the most common type due to their ability to lift and suspend dirt, oil, and debris, allowing them to be washed away.

Suppliers of this ingredient tout its gentle foaming action as a desirable quality for consumers, even though the foam itself has little cleansing ability. In addition to skin care formulations, sodium cocoyl isethionate is a popular ingredient in hair products.

Sodium cocoyl isethionate has been deemed safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Their report surveyed products containing up to 49.4% in rinse-off formulas and 17% for leave-on products.

Sodium Salicylate: is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that's used to treat pain and inflammation. It's also found in some products as an ingredient to treat skin conditions. Hazard Statements H302 Harmful if swallowed. H319 Causes serious eye irritation. H361 Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child. H402 Harmful to aquatic life. Sodium salicylate is used in a range of personal care products, including shampoos, skin creams, and lotions. It serves as an exfoliating agent, helping to remove dead skin cells and promote skin renewal.

Lauramidopropyl Betaine: is a synthetic surfactant (cleansing agent) commonly used in personal care products, such as shampoos, body washes, and soaps. Lauramidopropyl betaine plays a variety of roles in skin care and hair care formulations, including a gentle cleansing agent, foam booster, antistatic agent, viscosity adjuster, and conditioning agent. While it’s most common in shampoos, lauramidopropyl betaine also shows up in other types of cleansing products such as body wash, bubble bath, and facial cleanser. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel deemed lauramidopropyl betaine safe for cosmetic use in their 2012 safety assessment. This report looked at 227 personal care products using lauramidopropyl betaine in concentrations ranging from 0.00006-13%.

Polyquaternium-10: is a synthetic polymer compound primarily used in hair care products due to its value as a flexible film-forming and anti-static agent. Of note, it offers conditioning and detangling benefits. 

Polyquaternium-10 has a decades-long history of safe use in cosmetics and was most recently reevaluated by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel in 2008, where it was once again deemed safe. Their report surveyed 396 products using polyquaternium-10, with concentrations ranging from 0.004% to 1.5%.

Cocamidopropyl betaine: has been in commercial use since the 1950s. It was initially used during World War II as a cleanser that could lather up in cold water. Later, the first cocamidopropyl betaine shampoo was developed using coconut oil as a base. The mild formula lathered well but wasn't as astringent as typical detergents. It became the famous "no more tears" baby shampoo.

Cocamidopropyl betaine works as a cleanser and conditioner, though it’s primarily a surfactant. Surfactants are ingredients that attract dirt and oil so that you can rinse them off of your skin or hair. Soaps and shampoos are all surfactants.

Sodium Citrate: (E331) is the sodium salt of citric acid. Like citric acid, it has a sour taste. Like other salts, it also has a salty taste. It is commonly known as sour salt and is mainly used as a food additive, usually for flavor or as a preservative. This medication is used to make the urine less acidic. Less acidic urine helps the kidneys get rid of uric acid, helping to prevent gout and certain types of kidney stones (urate).

sodium lauroyl sarcosinate: Not to be confused with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), this ingredient is a gentle cleansing and foaming agent. It attracts excess oil and dirt and then emulsifies it, which allows the grime to easily rinse away with water. Unlike SLS, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate is non-irritating and does not strip the hair. Ours is partially derived from coconut.

Citric acid: is considered good for hair as it helps balance the scalp's pH level, reducing frizz, adding shine, and potentially strengthening hair by reinforcing weak bonds within the hair shaft, making it a common ingredient in many hair care products due to its benefits for most hair types. 

Fragrance: "Fragrance" is an umbrella term for a combination of chemicals that give a product its scent. Manufacturers are not required to list their fragrance ingredients on product labels. Often, only one word, “fragrance”, is used on the label and can hide a cocktail of more than 100 toxic ingredients. This is because fragrances are considered to be “trade secrets,” fragrance industry regulates itself. That means safety testing does not have to be confirmed by regulators before products are sold to consumers. Fragrances are linked to a staggering number of health risks. Across multiple research studies, synthetic chemicals used to make fragrances are classified as allergens, hormone disruptors, asthma triggers, neurotoxins & carcinogens.  The punchline: fragrances are highly toxic and can cause allergic reactions.

 DOVE 

 Oxygen Moisture Shampoo 

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium C12-13 Pareth Sulfate,
Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Gluconate, Fragrance (Parfum), Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Glycerin, Ppg-9, Disodium Edta, Peg-45m, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Propylene Glycol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Red 33 (Ci 17200).

Sodium C12-13 Pareth Sulfate: is a surfactant commonly used in cleansing formulations. It helps in removing dirt, oil, and impurities from the skin, creating a rich lather and providing a clean and refreshed feel. It is generally considered milder than traditional sulfates like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.

Cocamidopropyl betaine: is a synthetic surfactant; it has been associated with irritation and allergic contact dermatitis, reactions that could be due to the ingredient itself or to impurities present in it, such as 3-dimethylaminopropylamine.

Sodium chloride: commonly known as edible salt.

Sodium gluconate: is the sodium salt of gluconic acid, produced by fermentation of glucose. It is a white to tan, granular to fine, crystalline powder, very soluble in water.

Fragrance: "Fragrance" is an umbrella term for a combination of chemicals that give a product its scent. Manufacturers are not required to list their fragrance ingredients on product labels. Often, only one word, “fragrance”, is used on the label and can hide a cocktail of more than 100 toxic ingredients. This is because fragrances are considered to be “trade secrets,” fragrance industry regulates itself. That means safety testing does not have to be confirmed by regulators before products are sold to consumers. Fragrances are linked to a staggering number of health risks. Across multiple research studies, synthetic chemicals used to make fragrances are classified as allergens, hormone disruptors, asthma triggers, neurotoxins & carcinogens. The punchline: fragrances are highly toxic and can cause allergic reactions.

Citric Acid: is considered good for hair as it helps balance the scalp's pH level, reducing frizz, adding shine, and potentially strengthening hair by reinforcing weak bonds within the hair shaft, making it a common ingredient in many hair care products due to its benefits for most hair types.

Sodium Benzoate:  is best known as a preservative used in processed foods and beverages to extend shelf life. Sodium benzoate does not occur naturally. Sodium benzoate is generally considered safe for use in hair care products. Sodium benzoate (according to the European nomenclature E211) is a salt of benzoic acid and is well soluble in water, tasteless, and odorless. Due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties, it is a preservative added to food in strictly defined doses. It inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold.

Glycerin: also known as glycerol, is a natural compound derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. It’s a clear, colorless, odorless, and syrupy liquid with a sweet taste. Research suggests that glycerin in your moisturizers or your soap can have a positive effect on your skin.

Disodium EDTA: is in many products as a preservative, to stabilise it, or to enhance the foaming action. It’s also used as a chelating agent, which means it is used to precipitate out metals from the formulation (if tap water were used to make the formulation instead of purified water, for example, and it can bind with metals dissolved in your shower water).

One reason we recommend not using products containing Disodium EDTA is that it is a ‘penetration enhancer’. Although it doesn’t absorb particularly well into the skin, it disrupts the surface of skin cells so that other chemicals can get in more easily – ie, other chemicals in your product, and chemicals in your shower water, etc.

So if you see Disodium EDTA, then look at what else is in the ingredients list, because you might not be too thrilled at those chemicals getting a free ride.

Peg-45m: PEGs (polyethylene glycols) are petroleum-based compounds that are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture carriers. PEGs are commonly used as cosmetic cream bases. They are also used in pharmaceuticals as laxatives.

Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil: Derived from the kernels of the seeds of the coconut palm, this oil acts as an emollient to condition skin.

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein: The hydrolysate of soy protein produced by an acid, enzyme, or other method of hydrolysis is known as hydrolyzed soy protein or hydrolyzed soybean protein. Proteins, peptides, and amino acids make up the majority of its structure. It primarily functions as a hair conditioning agent and a skin conditioning agent in cosmetics.

Propylene Glycol: is an organic alcohol commonly used as a skin conditioning agent. It has been associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis as well as contact urticaria in humans; these sensitization effects can be manifested at propylene glycol concentrations as low as 2%

Hexyl Cinnamal: also known as hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, is a common fragrance ingredient found in various skin care and makeup products. Its jasmine-like floral aroma can be used to mask the unpleasant odor of other ingredients in formulations.

Internationally recognized as a contact allergen, hexyl cinnamal can be sensitizing, especially for those with sensitive skin or when used in high concentrations (higher on the ingredient list indicates a greater risk of irritancy). Regulations now require hexyl cinnamal to be listed separately due to its allergy potential, unlike the past practice of grouping it under the general term “fragrance” on a cosmetic ingredient list.