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Filed Under Chemicals, FAQ, Product Safety, Skin Care

We’ve been getting this question a lot since I released this years Safer Sunscreen Cheat Sheet so I wanted to clarify my decision to exclude it in this years list. I want to preface this by saying one statement. I do not know everything. See? I’m just like you. But I spend a lot of time trying to learn more and more about the topics I cover here at SafeMama. I care deeply about the safety of products and food. But this is also a learning process for me too. Since I published the first cheat sheet I learned a lot about ingredients, chemical processing, possible contamination from that processing, and about green washing. So when I decided to redo all our cheat sheets for 2010 I wanted to carry this new knowledge through.

One of those ingredients is phenoxyethanol. Phenoxyethanol is a preservative used by many “natural” brands as an alternative to parabens. So to the novice ingredients reader, they glance at the back and they don’t see the telltale parabens and think they have something much safer. In some ways they probably do.

In comparison to parabens, trace amounts of phenoxyethanol in a product isn’t too much of a concern. MY concern however, is that say you use anywhere from 10 – 20 products a day and they all contain phenoxyethanol. It starts to add up. All skin care items with the ingredient “water” in them require some kind of preservation method to prevent the growth of bacteria. Phenoxyethanol is one of the preservatives that gets used in lieu of parabens. Phenoxyethanol is also used as a stabilizer in perfumes. The ingredient is processed with chemicals that are known carcinogens so there is some concern with contamination. It is also an irritant to the skin, eyes and lungs as well as restricted from use in cosmetics in Japan and the European Union.

Much to my dismay, TruKid’s Sunny Days Sunscreen contains phenoxyethanol. Does that mean I hate TruKid? No, of course not. I’ve raved about them in the past and still think this and all their products are much better alternatives to most mainstream kids products. TruKids brand is free of parabens, phthalates, dioxanes, SLS and is rated well in Skin Deep. But I’ve come to learn that just because Skin Deep rates it well, doesn’t mean I do. I can’t help but want the best for all of us. Perhaps TruKid will reformulate some day and they’ll be back in my good graces. But until then, I’ll stick with their Sunny Days Sun Stick which has a better ingredients list.

Posted by: SafeMama Kathy on April 16, 2010

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Comments

5 Responses to “FAQ: Why Is TruKid Sunny Days Sunscreen Missing From This Years Cheat Sheet?”

Fig+Sage on April 17th, 2010 5:16 pm

I absolutely agree with your decision and like the way you think!! This is similar to way I feel about it. When I bring up these points to companies who use it in their products, I usually never hear back from them or they say that they use it in such small amounts that it doesn’t matter. But like you, I’m concerned with using it over time. Many either didn’t know about the potential issues or don’t care. Good for you for sharing this info with your readers!

In ’08, even the FDA had to release a warning about a nipple cream containing Phenoxyethanol called Mommy’s Bliss:

“Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications. It also can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea”.
Diana on April 18th, 2010 3:13 am

I checked my favorite lotion (Baby Avalon Organics) after reading this, and it has phenoxyethanol. So I checked your site for an alternative lotion, and I saw Nature’s Baby, which has sodium benzoate in it, which also sounds bad on Skin Deep. So what unscented lotion do you suggest? Thanks!
Lisa on April 18th, 2010 2:27 pm

You read my mind with this post. I have been wondering about TruKids myself as I used it last year and am using their bath wash for my child now. I think I will discontinue using them and use Badger sunscreen as I want only the safest for my little boy. Thank you so much for addressing this question.
Kathy on April 18th, 2010 3:12 pm

Just FYI Everyone, TruKid has reached out to us to discuss the Phenoxyethanol content and say theirs is “naturally rose derived esther that is a safe food grade “paraben free” ” as opposed to the petroleum based Phenoxyethanol. I was not aware this was a possibility so I am looking into it further. I’ll post a follow up as soon as I can.
Jennifer on April 20th, 2010 5:17 am

Anxious to hear what you find out!!!