Thursday, December 31, 2009

Letter to Snopes.com regarding Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

I read this on the snopes.com website and felt compelled to respond about SLS.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/shampoo.asp

Here is my comment:


Regarding your response for "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate", I URGE you to reconsider your response and check the following sources:

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
This site lists this ingredient IS linked with cancer, and gives several sources. The website is run by the Environmental Working Group.
Also, another good source is the book "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry", by Stacy Malkan. Or, the book "Toxic Beauty" by Samuel Epstein, MD.

There are numerous other sources on the subject.

The "Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List" needs to be mentioned in your response. Studies done in Canada have linked this ingredient with cancer.

If you research further you will also find that there are still contamination concerns for this ingredient.

Contamination concerns - ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE

1,4-Dioxane is a KNOWN carcinogen

To simply site that the FDA and our government is protecting us from such substances is completely false.
In the US there are absolutely no independent studies being done on ingredients such as Sodium Laryl Sulfate before they hit the market. It is the cosmetic industry itself, not the FDA that makes determinations on ingredients. Cosmetics are a self-policing industry that the FDA does NOT oversee.

Your response gives full trust to our government and FDA, which seems irresponsible. Why does the European Union ban over 1,100 chemicals from their products, and the U.S. only NINE?! Please read the 1938 FDA mandate where industry lobbying succeeded in blocking the FDA from requiring testing of cosmetics.

I have used the snopes.com site for years as a trusted source, I would hate to now view it as being inaccurate. I urge you to look into further studies on the subjects of toxins in products.

Thank you,

Lyndsi

2 comments:

  1. Thank you Lyndsi! FYI The European Union bans over 1364 chemicals... I think the FDA is up to 11ish... here are the links. By all means - READ IT and brace yourself for an education on who really regulates this industry and who decides a product is safe for you and your family to use. I recall the Tobacco industry up until recent years was also a self regulated industry that proclaimed itself safe to use...

    FDA
    http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/%20SelectedCosmeticIngredients/ucm127406.htm

    FDA's Authority on Cosmetics (that includes lotions and shampoos)

    http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm074162.htm

    European Union
    http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/cosmetics/cosing/index.cfm

    On left click on Annexes and then II. List of substances which must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products

    - Christine

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  2. Christine,
    Thank you so much for your comments!! The links and information you shared are so helpful!

    It is so difficult to keep up with things on this topic because there are over 2,000 new chemicals added to our products every year. They are often not tested and sometimes not even listed on labels. It is an issue I am very passionate about!

    I will make sure to check out your links and update my numbers. 1364! I will pass that fact on to my fellow Ava Anderson Non-Toxic consultants since we do seminars on this subject.

    Thank you! Thank you!!

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