I loved Stacy Malkan’s comment. She is so right. Talk about fear mongering – without formaldehyde donor preservatives, children will go blind! Who is fear mongering now?

No doubt – there is a risk of blindness from contaminated cosmetics (as far as I know, the reports of blindness were related to contaminated mascaras from the 1970s), but there are many options to formaldehyde releasing preservatives. Lots of companies use them – from California Baby to Earth Mama Angel Baby to many others.

Also, here are the links to the information I referenced
before:

Johnson & Johnson on phthalates in its products:

http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/phthalatesStudy.do

The information on 1,4-dioxane is in the FAQ here:
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/faq.do

Here’s the info directly from J&J’s website: Some of the ingredients in our products may contain 1,4-dioxane as an incidental ingredient at extremely low levels. This trace ingredient is common in the personal care industry, and results from a process that makes products mild for even the most delicate skin. 1,4-dioxane is also a natural component of such food products as vine-ripened tomatoes and tomato products, fresh shrimp, brewed coffee and fried chicken. Recently, several environmental activist groups erroneously claimed that in 1985 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the cosmetics/personal care industry to voluntarily limit 1,4-dioxane to a certain level. However, the FDA has set no limits for 1,4-dioxane in cosmetics and personal care products, and the low levels in some of our products present no risk to consumers. Test results recently released by these groups state that some shampoos and bath products contain trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane. We are unclear as to the testing methodology used by these groups and cannot verify the data that was listed in their press release.

Hi Stephanie, Thanks so much for stopping by OrganicMania and leaving this supportive comment. I am very disturbed that no one from the Personal Care Products Council nor from J&J has addressed my concerns directly. I actually felt much better about the situation before I wrote this post, got the responses (or non-responses) that I’ve received and started reading more about all the many breast cancer survivor groups, nursing groups, health education groups and others that support the work of the EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Thanks, Lynn

Stacy Malkan
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Author, “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”

Stacy, thanks so much for stopping by OrganicMania and supporting the Green Moms and leaving this comment. Folks, if you haven’t read Stacy’s book, you should really check it out. She’s our champion in for safe cosmetics and personal care products. — Lynn

My sister uses Dr. Bronner’s in the tub with her daughter who, like me and my sister, has extremely sensitive skin, and she hasn’t had a problem, whereas J&J baby shampoo made her break out in a rash. Recent studies point to the fact that there is an overuse of formaldehyde releasing preservatives in products that can lead to skin reactions: http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Formulation-Science/Unnecessarily-high-preservative-levels-may-cause-contact-allergies.

What I find most interesting about the reaction by industry dinosaurs to this report is that MANY other companies make safer alternatives now and they could be too, but it will cost them $$ to move beyond the toxic chemistry of the past to the green chemistry of the future. . .so just like other industries that need to evolve (energy, for example), they’ll fight tooth and nail to resist this change.

Margie, I love the analogy you make to the energy industry and your reference to green chemistry. You’re right on! — Lynn

And while the amounts may occur naturally in certain foods, then amounts are lower than found in most of the personal care products. 6 to 13 ppm in a tomato.

But that argument misses the point. The members of the Green Moms Carnival recognize that the EWG report simply identifies the presence of these compounds and does not assess exposure or risk. What we are seeking instead is a company and spokesperson that advertise themselves as being green to be that – stop using petroleum based compounds, disclose ingredients, use recycled content bottles, etc.

Jennifer, thanks so much for responding to the two comments from The Formaldehyde Council (Or Counterpoint Strategies or whomever they are fronting). — Lynn

I hate to break this to you, but formaldehyde is naturally occurring in all your vegetables and fruits, and your breth level is probably around 30 parts-per-billion.

Finally, I am convinced that the EWG’s lab–no website–did the tests incorrectly.

Refer to my article on this..

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Stop_The_Fear_Mongering_On_Children_s_Health.shtml

EWG definitely gots its wish, as this nonsense has appeared on hundreds of Mommy blogs, and I’m sure they’re getting plenty of contributions. No agenda there, of course…

As it happens, many, many eminent toxicologists doubt that formaldehyde is carcinogenic in humans, and the levels that did cause cancer in animals are enormously higher that what you’re talking about here, in any case.

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Stop_The_Fear_Mongering_On_Children_s_Health.shtml

http://www.stats.org/stories/2009/baby_bath_cancer_mar13_09.html

The irresponsible party in this case is the Environmental Working Group, as they are needlessly panicking parents all around the world with accusations that are bogus and without foundation.

Actually, Eric, there are far more than two parties who support this report, which incidently was released by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetic and not by the EWG. How about Senator Lautenberg, who backs the Kid-Safe Chemical Act? http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=298072

Or the many respected organizations that back the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics? Check them out here: http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=219 They include organizations like The Breast Cancer Fund.org and The American Nurses Association. See: http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=278

And what about your group? Counterpoint Strategies?

CounterPoint Strategies, Inc. provides communications services
to leading companies, prominent public figures and organizations
worldwide.

CounterPoint combines assertive communication strategies
and experienced counsel to help clients confront volatile media
circumstances. We shield clients and counter attacks. We hold
press accountable and challenge adversaries. With unique
solutions and proven tactics, we safeguard clients through a
hostile public affairs marketplace.

http://www.formaldehyde.org/member/members.html

I see the formaldehyde council is up on arms about this as you’ve left comments on all of the Green Moms blogs. I’m still waiting for a direct answer to the three questions I asked J&J and repeated in my post:

- What is J&J’s stance on the Kid Safe Chemical Act?
- What does J&J think about the adverse affects of long term exposure to the thousands of chemicals used in personal care products?
- Is this issue even being discussed at the industry level, through groups like the Personal Products Council?

– Lynn

Thanks, Diane, for stopping by and leaving an encouraging note. This has actually been a very frustrating and discouraging experience, although I must say I have learned a lot! — Lynn

Jennifer

Jennifer, thanks so much for the compliment, and I am with you on the reaction to being referred to the Mommy blogger specialist. I just hit their site trying to find the references you mention. I couldn’t find that but I did find this: “We aspire to be the most environmentally responsible company in the world.” That’s an incredible goal – good for them. But then why couldn’t their Director of Comms answer these three questions:
– What is J&J’s stance on the Kid Safe Chemical Act?
- What does J&J think about the adverse affects of long term exposure to the thousands of chemicals used in personal care products?
- Is this issue even being discussed at the industry level, through groups like the Personal Products Council?

– Lynn