Smart Chemistry & Body Care – but there is more we need to be concerned about?

This is a very complex issue, and as a scientist seeing facts misrepresented and untruths becoming truths via Google, I am becoming concerned about the direction our industry is going. Chemistry has certainly become “very smart” in recent years, but is there really any need for a lot of these complex and cutting edge chemicals to be in our body care products?

I often see misrepresentations centre around ingredients in body care products that may be benign in one state and toxic in others. An example is titanium dioxide, which is generally considered safe in sunscreen or toothpaste. However when used in powder form, such as in mineral makeup powders, there may be health risks. There have certainly been published concerns regarding the cancer risks to workers in industrial settings using Titanium Dioxide (http://www.ccohs.ca/headlines/text186.html ).

But this issue is much broader than the use in body care products. Staying with this example, titanium dioxide is now such a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products that it is entering sewage systems and, subsequently, the environment as treated effluent discharged to surface waters or bio solids applied to agricultural land, incinerated wastes, or landfill solids.

One published research study (Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Feb 21; 46(4): 2242-50.) published in Environmental Science & Technology raises the issue that while many individual products contained low amounts of titanium, their widespread use and disposal down the drain and eventually to wastewater treatment plants requires some serious attention by government authorities.

But we have just identified one chemical here, and there are thousands more that we could say the same for.

What is a reasonable position to adopt here? At Indochine Natural we only produce very simple body care products (soap, body wash, shampoo, face wash, body oil, etc.) made entirely from vegetable materials and oils, without the use of any synthetic additives. However a limitation is the range of products that can be produced. A worthwhile compromise we think when considering environmental and health concerns.

Dr. Mike Thair

Co-founder & Managing Director
Indochine Natural Sdb Bhd

www.indochinenatural.com