by Meghan O'Brien

Created on: June 16, 2009

I was recently doing some spring cleaning under my bathroom sink. Way in the back corner I found a bottle of body lotion, maufactured by a rather common place supermarket brand. This particular brand; I feel the general public thinks is a better, more natural and safer choice than that of some other brands. This discovery prompted me to do the same kind of research that encouraged my to create my own brand of productsI researched each ingredient. In the following list I have listed the name of the ingredient, why it is commonly used (in italics) and any health advantages, disadvantages or down right concerns with that particular ingredient!

Alright folks, I know this is a long one, but my hope is that it will be commonly referenced back to. So print it out and adhere it to the back of your grocery list!

Water (aqua) - well its water.
Glycerin- Why it is used: Denaturant, fragrance ingredient, hair and skin conditioning agent, humectant, oral care agent, skin protectant and solvent. Glycerin is a byproduct of soap manufacture; if the soap was made with animal fats then the product could not be considered vegan. One or more animal studies show kidney or renal system effects at very low doses, reproductive effects and skin irritation at moderate doses and brain and nervous and endocrine system disruption at high doses. One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results (initiation of cancer cells). Designated safe for general use.
Emulsifying Wax- Why it is used: Combine oil and water molecule. No toxicity concerns. However, some consideration should be taking into the plant it was extracted from and the method of extraction.
Ethylhexyl Isononanoate- Very little information is available regarding Ethylhexyl Isononanoate beyond its use as an emollient ester. Emollients are generally used to thicken and stabilize liquid products and esters are formed by combining acid (often amino acid) and alcohol. Again, it is important to consider the extraction method that often uses toxic chemicals and while this ingredient is being used to produce a desirable texture, it is not providing anything positive therapeutically.
Gylcine soja (Soybean) seed extract- Why it is used: bulking, emollient, hair and skin moisturizing. No safety or toxicity concerns readily evident for the soybean seed extract. However, soy beans are often genetically altered (GMO) and the extraction process takes place in the presence of methanol. Methanol itself is a violation

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