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Jan
30
Safer Skin Care: How Far Do You Go?
Filed Under Skin Care | 17 Comments
- Always be weary of products that say they are all natural or organic. Read labels. There is nothing stopping companies from this claim right now.
- Buy products that are certified under the USDA National Organic Program or a similar German Program and products that bear the “USDA Organic” seal.
- Avoid products with synthetic ethoxylated ingredients including those with strange names like myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth and other “eth”, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.
- Reference the list of products tested in this FoodConsumer.org article.
When I have some extra cash (which is not often) I sometimes go through our list of Safer Skin Care and purchase a sampler set of something I haven’t tried yet. It gives me a chance to try something new first hand as well as keep up with any reformulations that might occur as time goes on. Recently I decided to buy a sample gift set from Mama Rose’s Naturals. Their brand has been on our cheat sheet for a while since their website touts natural and lists the ingredients for each item. Their SPF 50 chemical free sunscreen remains on our Sunscreen Cheat Sheet.
I was dismayed to discover that a few of their basic baby skin care contains a little propylene glycol. It has been a while since we’ve discussed ingredients on SafeMama so let me refresh our memory of why we try to avoid it. Propylene Glycol is a penetration enhancer which is basically a vehicle to bring other materials into your skin. It’s also a suspected immune system toxin, neurotoxin, reproductive toxin, respiratory toxin, and skin toxin. I should also mention its a chemical (classified as a hazardous material) they use to de-ice planes. My go-to gal, Stephanie from Bubble & Bee, for ingredients has a better explanation of why it should be avoided on her Chemical of the Day blog.
I’m not sure what bothered me more… that it was in the products (even in a tiny amount) or that they don’t list it on their website in the ingredients. I purchased a few items based on the ingredients they list on their website only to find out that its more of a “generalization” of the ingredients rather than an exact list.
So how safe is safe enough? Maybe there is trace amounts of it in a few products. Is that ok? Here at SafeMama I try to find the safest of the safest but I am also realistic. Not everyone wants to drop a wad of cash on organic skin care. Or do they?
When it comes to my kids I try to find the safest stuff I can (that works) but I want to also consider skin care that may be free of the biggest threats (parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, etc) and not 100% chemical free… because I am not everyone and I recognize that. Some of you want something cheaper and “safer” and some of you want the “safest”. My personal conflict lies in where to draw the line here on SafeMama.com. The more I learn about ingredients, the more natural and organic I demand for safety. Unfortunately that leaves less to select from as my list of requirements grows.
Is there such thing as too safe? Some kids have allergies to natural ingredients or terrible eczema that can only be controlled with mainstream synthetic creams or prescriptions. What then? Are we all taking it too far?
What do you think? Readers… how safe is safe in your eyes? Would you rather see SafeMama put on the full throttle of safety in our skin care recommendations or do you want more options? Would you prefer a rating system? I’ll be releasing a new cheat sheet for baby skin care this year and would love some input from our loyal readers. How far is far enough? I give the floor to you… I’ll be interested to hear everyone’s perspective.
Nov
14
Mylicon Gas Relief Recalled for Risk of Metal
Filed Under Product Safety | Comments Off
I was tipped off by a friend on Facebook about a recent recall of Mylicon Gas Relief drops for infants. Apparently, Johnson & Johnson and Merck Pharmaceuticals is voluntarily recalling 12,000 units of Infants’ MYLICON® Gas Relief Dye Free Non-Staining Drops 1 oz. manufactured after October 5, 2008 in the 1oz plastic bottles due to determining that some bottles could include metal fragments that were generated during the manufacturing process. (Lot #’s are SMF007 and SMF008)
I don’t have experience with this product but I know many parents use it so if you have a bottle in your home, please check the lot numbers to see if you have a bottle that has been recalled. You can obtain the Lot numbers directly from Mylicon’s website. They provide instructions on the press release to obtain a refund:
Consumers can find the lot numbers on the bottom of the box containing the product and also on the lower left side of the sticker on the product bottle.
Consumers who purchased Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining included in this recall should immediately stop using the product and contact the company at 1-800-222-9435 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST) or via the internet at www.mylicon.com for instructions regarding how to dispose of the product and request a replacement or refund.
Visit Mylicon.com for further details.
Jul
30
Congrass Passes Ban on Phthalates!
Filed Under Phthalates Info, Product Safety | Comments Off
Yesterday, Congress voted on the Children’s Safe Products Act which approved a nationwide ban on phthalates in products intended for children under 12. We’ve been waiting for this so we’re happy to say goodbye to phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP… three chemicals used to soften plastics in children’s toys like bath squirties, soft books and “rubber” ducks. The Act is part of a final Bill to reform and improve the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This is obviously good news and further confirmation that there is enough doubt in their safety as well as demand for strict regulations on children’s products. And don’t think you didn’t have anything to do with it. Members and supporters of MomsRising.org alone sent in over 100,000 letters to congressman urging them to support the Act.
However, this ban doesn’t take effect for 6 months. Big stores like WalMart and Target have already promised a ban of children’s products with phthalates from their stores, beginning in January 2009… but with this kind of timeframe, we’ll still see toys containing phthalates on store shelves through this year’s holiday season. That means, as SafeParents, we still need to keep a critical eye and shop carefully to avoid them. There will always be something to be wary of when toy shopping but this recent ban is a step in the right direction.
Related Article: ABC News Phthalates Banned from Child Toys
Related Blog Article: EWG Enviroblog
Jun
4
Crocs Safety: Beware of Escalators
Filed Under Articles, Product Safety | Comments Off
The popular shoes, Crocs™ worn by kids and adults alike have swept the retail-nation like wildfire. My son has a pair or two. They are easy to get on and off (which is a huge help when kids don’t want to put shoes on AT ALL like mine) and are great for the beach or pool. They’re comfortable, water and slip resistant and the material they’re made with Croslite™, their proprietary foam material is nontoxic, bacteria and mold resistant too.
But not so fast, there are some concerns to be aware of before letting your little one walk to earth in them. While they’re a great convenience, they are being reported as a safety issue with escalators. 77 cases of escalator entrapment have been reported since January of 2006 in connection with Crocs™ and similar imitation brands, according to the CPSC. The hard teeth of escalator steps and the soft nature of the shoe materials have caused some serious injuries to mostly children. The CPSC has warned of the shoes risk when using escalators in the past but with the summer here, they are bringing it to the public’s attention once again.
Consumer Reports has a good article on the subject with a useful bulleted list of safety tips for escalator use. Check it out… but Safe Mama recommends not wearing Crocs™ to the mall or places that have escalators. And be careful on those escalators with kids.
Recycling Tip: I recently stumbled on a website that offers a great recycling option for the shoes. SolesUnited (I can’t tell if this is part of the Crocs™ team or not) collects used shoes and grinds them up to make new shoes for underdeveloped countries and also uses the recycled shoes for playground flooring. You can find a participating store near you on the website or get the mailing address of where to ship your used shoes.
Links:
Apr
11
Baby Skin Care Products: A Quick Users Guide
Filed Under paraben free, Phthalates Info, Product Safety, Skin Care | 7 Comments
One of the things that we’ve been frustrated with, here at SafeMama, was what seemed like a lack of safe baby skin care products. Hence, the second version of the Paraben and Phthalate Free Bath Care Cheat Sheet. As we were searching we realized that there actually are a lot of really great products out there, and so we compiled as many of them as we could find, and put them all in one central location for our readers to peruse. A few things to note:
1. Not every single product that’s out there, is going to be on this list. We’ve found tons of stuff, and have turned over many stones, but I’m sure there are some out there that we’ve missed. That said, if you’re using a product that’s safe, and it isn’t on here, please email us or comment and we’ll research the product add it to the list.
2. If your product isn’t on here, it may be because it didn’t meet the requirements for this spreadsheet. All of the products listed on here are free of parabens, sodium laureth sulfates (SLS), phthalates, 1,4 dioxanes, propylene glycol, and PEG’s. The who? The what? We’ve outlined briefly what these are and why you might not want them in your child’s skin care in the glossary.
3. Safety Rating: In addition to that, we crossed refrenced these products with EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database and added the score to each product on the sheet. Not every product, unfortunately, is in the CSD, however, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad product, but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not you feel comfortable using it.
4. Not all products that are manufactured by these companies have been listed. We kept this simply listed to baby skin care, and products that a person might use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and we noted each product as such. Again, it’s not that the other products are bad, it’s just that, well, this is list already very long, and the website is called SafeMama after all.
5. At the time of this publication, we hadn’t heard back from a couple of the companies. We’re pretty sure that California Baby is free of dioxanes, but because we hadn’t heard back from them after a few attempts at contact, we decided to put “unknown.” We’d rather be safe than sorry.
We hope you’ll find this spreadsheet useful. We wanted to make sure that the Mamas (and the Daddys) know that there are lots of options out there for your little ones skin care needs. The link to this sheet will also be added to the sidebar. If you have any questions regarding these ingredients, please refer to our glossary.
Once you’ve chosen safe bath products, make sure your bath toys are safe too.
Mar
18
1, 4-Dioxane in Organic Body Care Products
Filed Under Articles, Skin Care | 4 Comments
It literally pains me to write this post. It seems as though the moment I have everything under control as far as safe products go, something else pops up. And honestly, I try incredibly hard not to make this website feel “alarmist” and “We’re all gonna diiiiiieeee” in it’s tone but this is one of those times where I just can’t help it. I found an article last week about dioxane and tried to ignore it, but then I found a similar one so here’s the reported scoop:
Cancer-causing agent 1, 4-dioxane is known to be present in many conventional personal care products. But a new study released March 14 by the Organic Consumer Association (OCA) shows that the toxin is also present in many leading brands of claimed natural and uncertified organic shampoos, body washes, lotions and other personal care products.
1,4 dioxane is, by definition, used in solvent applications for manufacturing. The chemical is also used as a foaming agent and appears as an accidental byproduct of a process in cosmetics manufacturing. It may contaminate cosmetics and personal care products such as deodorants, shampoos, toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Why should I be concerned? I’ll tell you. Dioxane is a known eye and respiratory irritant and is suspected of causing damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. Accidental exposure to people working with it has been known to cause deaths. Dioxane is classified by the IARC as a Group 2B carcinogen: possibly carcinogenic to humans due to the fact that it is a known carcinogen in animals.
Some of the leading brands that tested positive for 1, 4-dioxane include Jason Pure Natural & Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Kiss My Face, Nature’s Gate Organics. Some of the leading brands that did not test positive for the toxin include all USDA Certified brands including Dr. Bronner’s Sensibility Soaps (Nourish), Terressentials and all German Natural “BDIH” Certified brands including Aubrey Organics and Dr. Hauschka.
One of the things that always frustrates me the most about this kind of information is that there is a billion sites telling you why its bad, BAD, BAD! but they never give you the information needed to avoid it.
How to Avoid it:
Read the full article: FoodConsumer.org
Update: Here is the source list of products tested by the Organic Consumer Association.
Dec
8
Site Worth Bookmarking: HealthyToys.org
Filed Under Product Safety, Toy Safety | 1 Comment
I had to highlight this website because as I searched through it I found some really disturbing things and have already tossed a few items due to the information on it. HealthyToys.org was created by various environmental groups as a public database of toys tested for dangerous toxics like lead, arsenic, chlorine, mercury and cadmium. The toys are tested and they post the results by chemical and determine whether the threat is low medium or high. They have a “Worst Toys” list as well as a “Best Toys” list. It’s a public site and you can nominate toys to be tested. It’s a really useful resource and while it sounds tedious to go through looking for every toy you own, you might be surprised to find some of your old favorites in there full of chlorine PVC and arsenic in items like teethers, bibs, feeding utensils and other baby items like high chairs. They make the database easy to search and list also by brand and type.
Nov
29
Asbestos Found in Several Childrens Toys
Filed Under Product Safety | 1 Comment
It’s stuff like this that make me as a parent feel totally out of control. I originally found a link to The Consumerist where they list out a bevy of toys and other household items like duct tape that contain asbestos. I try not to make this site feel “alarmist” or to unnecessarily worry parents over issues such as this. But it’s hard not to bring these types of things to people;s attention because we could all be exposing ourselves or our families to hazardous materials without ever knowing it.
The product that brings the most concern is the CSI Fingerprint kit which allows kids to “dust” for prints. What chaps me is the statement made by the company:
“The kit has been tested and has met all safety standards requirements as set by toy safety agencies and legislation, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” a spokeswoman said, but added, “The agencies don’t require asbestos testing and therefore we have never been apprised of any unacceptable levels of asbestos.
“We respect anyone’s right to test our products and should their or our future tests reveal anything unacceptable, we’ll of course take swift action to remove contaminated products from the market.”
So basically, “we’re not required to test our toys for a potentially dangerous material so if you find out on your own that it’s dangerous, THEN we’ll do something but… we’re not obligated.” Nice. thanks for looking out for us.
Source: Seattle PI
Nov
21
Bisphenol-free bottles
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | 1 Comment
If you’re looking for safe bottles for your baby or toddler, take a look at the Adiri Natural Nurser Ultimate Bottle. It’s 100% polycarbonate-free and bisphenol-A free. Additionally, it mimics the look and feel of breastfeeding for those children who refuse to take a bottle.
Friends have already given us bottles, but I will now be checking them for bisphenol-A and polycarbonates. And as soon the Adiri bottles are off of backorder I will be buying some. They will come in handy when I go back to work and can’t be home to nurse.
Source: Cool Mom Picks
Nov
14
2007 The Year of the Recall
Filed Under Articles, Product Safety | 3 Comments
I’ve heard this a few times now and it still doesn’t sit well. This year has been bombarded with toy and product recalls starting with Toys R Us recalling Elite Operations toy sets in March, lead toys, cribs with strangulation defects… and then the most recent Aqua Dots disaster… this year isn’t helping boost consumer confidence. And it doesn’t all land on toys… food recalls started back in January and continue to pop up.
From a Consumers Union article dated back to October 30th,
“The CPSC and FDA need strong leadership and the will to develop proactive measures to prevent unsafe products from reaching our homes. We urge Congress to make 2007 the year of safety reform, to fix our broken food and product safety agencies, and restore consumer confidence in the marketplace,” added [Donald Mays, Senior Director of Product Safety Planning and Technical Administration for Consumers Union]Mays.
The bill was passed, but there is still a long way to go.
Source: ConsumersUnion.org
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Car Seat Recalls
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Latest Recalls in Canada
- Seymour Custom Solvent recalled over labelling
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Safer States Action Alerts
- 28 states to consider toxic chemicals legislation in 2012
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