What is in your soap?

1,4-Dioxane

In 2008, testing sponsored by the U.S. Organic Consumers Association (OCA) found dioxane in almost half of tested organic personal-care products. Since 1979 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have conducted tests on cosmetic raw materials and finished products for the levels of 1,4-dioxane. While the FDA encourages manufacturers to remove 1,4-dioxane, it is not required by federal law. 1,4-Dioxane is found in small amounts in hygiene products used in both China and the U.S.

Ethoxylation, a chemical reaction and cheap short-cut companies use to provide mildness to harsh ingredients, requires the use of the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which generates 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product. To avoid synthetic ethoxylated ingredients be aware of products including those with myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol in their names of ingredients.

The carcinogenicity of dioxane in rodents was first reported in 1965 and subsequently confirmed in other studies including by the National Cancer Institute in 1978; the predominant sites of cancer were nasal passages in rats and liver in mice. On the basis of such evidence, the Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that "the presence of 1,4-dioxane, even as a trace contaminant, is a cause of concern." Dioxane is removed from surfactants during their manufacturing by a process known as vacuum stripping and yet is still found in personal care products.

1,4-Dioxane is considered a cancer causing chemical under proposition 65, and has no place in "natural" or "organic" branded personal care products. 1,4-dioxane is also suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others, according to the California EPA, and is a leading groundwater contaminant. Although previous studies have revealed 1,4-Dioxane is often present in conventional personal care products, this new study indicates the toxin is also present in leading "natural" and "organic" branded products, none of which are certified under the USDA National Organic Program.