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Shampoo

The Backstory

Although our skin is only in contact with shampoo for short periods, the warm water and steamy environments of showers make our bodies more susceptible to even the briefest contact with the irritating chemicals found in many conventional shampoos. And once these products are rinsed away, the suds trickle down through the drain en route to waterways, where ingredients can pose threats to ecosystems and even find their way into drinking water supplies.

Problematic Ingredients in Conventional Shampoos

Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Found in almost every conventional shampoo, the detergent and sudsing agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a skin irritant that is widely used in lab studies to trigger acute contact dermatitis. Plus, a 2001 study determined that SLS aggravates scales on the hair follicle, causing damage rather than conditioning. Some shampoos labeled "organic" and "natural" contain a derivative, sodium laureth sulfate, which is gentler on the scalp, but can be contaminated with the probable human carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.

Synthetic Fragrances: Ubiquitous in personal care products, synthetic fragrances are a primary cause of allergic reactions. Synthetic fragrances also typically contain phthalates, known hormone disruptors that are associated with health problems ranging from reproductive-development problems in baby boys to obesity.

Phthalates can also end up in soil when biosolids from wastewater treatment plants are used as fertilizer. Those chemicals can then be consumed by grazing livestock, though it's not yet clear how extensive the problem is.

Preservatives: Preservatives called parabens (methyl-, propyl-, ethyl- and butyl-) mimic estrogen and may act as hormone disruptors when absorbed into the bloodstream. Parabens, along with propylene glycol, EDTA, lanolin (cosmetic grade), bronopol, imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium 15, are also associated with allergies and skin irritation. Some preservatives, such as bronopol and diazolidinyl urea, can contain the known carcinogen and volatile organic compound formaldehyde. After slipping past wastewater treatment plants, preservatives end up in waterways where they kill off beneficial microbes.

MEA, DEA and TEA: Look out for diethanolamine (DEA), a wetting agent used in shampoos to create thick lather, and the similar chemicals monoethanoliamine (MEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). These can react inside the shampoo bottle with nitrites (often present in preservatives) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Synthetic Dyes: Look out for coal tar dyes particularly common in dandruff shampoos, such as the carcinogens FD&C Blue 1 and FD&C Green 3, which provide no added benefit for hair while posing unnecessary health risks.

An Unregulated Market

Apart from color additives, cosmetic products and ingredients are not subject to FDA approval before they hit store shelves. Consequently, many products and ingredients are not tested for safety at all. In fact, the Environmental Working Group, an environmental watchdog organization, revealed in 2004 that 89 percent of 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products had not been evaluated for safety by any governing body.

Animal Welfare

Animal testing processes are often painful and cause a multitude of side effects, but they have not been formally validated for dependability, and they are widely criticized for being inaccurate predictors of human hazard. Viable alternatives, such as in vitro tests using human cells and computer modeling render animal testing unnecessary.