What's new

Do the scary chemicals effect your buying habits?

So, I do quite a bit of research on basically everything I do, i'm just that type of person. In the time I've spent hunting for soaps and creams that i'd like to use or add to my wishlist I've run across several articles detailing the danger of using modern commercial soaps and creams. The chemicals in question are usually propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, methylparaben, isobutane, triethalolamine or TEA and I've found that several high end or luxury creams and soaps contain at least one of these ingredients.

I understand that most creams and soaps that have these products in them, probably have low amounts, but does the presence of these chemicals effect your buying habits on products? I found myself purchasing an all natural soap after finding this out. of course I'm 22 and have already dealt with and beat cancer once, so I prefer to lower the risk of it happening again in every way I can. anyone else feel the same way? if not, why?
 
Brad, I am in the same boat as you about cancer (I am 19) and I do research and make decisions. Like talc, I really researched that big time. I think you really need to see what the risks are and how they have been found to happen. Like talc for instance, unless you are a woman or breathe in talc like a crazy talc-addicted person, you won't get cancer. So, I think you just need to really make educated decisions.
 
I must confess, I was surprised at this topic not being raised more often and more loudly on this site, I was also surprised about the lack of animal cruelty concern etc, not a critism just an observation.
Not getting slowly poisoned and not having it tested on animals are my two main criteria ( obviously I need the product to work but you normally have to buy it to tell that )
if I could have just one request of B & B it would be a vegan / cruelty free section, detailing relevant products and reviews.
there are so many products out there that there is no need for anyone or anything to get poisoned for me to shave and smell nice.
what are the risks associated with the things you have highlighted?
 
Do the scary chemicals scare me? Check out my avatar and my signature. :biggrin1:

In all honesty, no, I'm not concerned in the slightest. There are WAY nastier things in every breath you take. And the water you drink. And the food you eat. Sorry if that seems harsh. But in the grand scheme of things, worrying about minor ingredients in the soap that's on your face for less than 1% of your day seems like straining out gnats.
 
what are the risks associated with the things you have highlighted?

Also, i would support the vegan soap section for sure. I don't have anything against tallow based soaps but it would be nice to have a place to go if thats what i was looking for without having to sift through 10 pages of threads.

To save myself some time, I'll post links to some of the articles I found:
Propylene Glycol
Triethalolamine - This one has environmental concerns.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - This one has enviromental concerns and its used to degrease car engines....
I think methylparaben is fairly obvious with all the paraben - free stuff. It's linked to cancer if you didnt know.

I make no claims to the validity of the articles above. But if your curious, I'd suggest a google search. these are just samples of a very large compilation of articles about the concerns of ingredients in modern soaps and creams.
 
B&B could have a general "Animal Free" section devoted to soaps, creams, and brushes at least.
It could also include other personal care products like balms, brushes, shampoos, etc.

I'd support that.
 
Most shaving products are now paraben-free. I only use shaving soaps, and many of them also do not contain propylene glycol.

I don't have a problem with tallow in my soap, but I'm not vegan nor am I vegetarian. Cows are not being killed for their tallow; the tallow is a by-product that normally goes to waste.

If you have no animal products at all in your life (shoes, belts, leather seats in your car, etc., etc., etc.) good for you; you should probably also avoid tallow soaps. Fortunately, there are many good shaving products that contain no tallow and also have no propylene glycol and no parabens.
 
I have been shot, stabbed, hit by shrapnel and set of metal detectors when I walk through them, so I don't worry about harmful chemicals in my soaps and creams. I have also been shaving damn near everyday since I was 15 whether I wanted to or not and I haven't developed any illness due to shave soap/cream. So to answer your question no I don't worry. In your case with a previous bout with cancer I can see you wanting to check things out. Check the soap wiki there are quite a few natural soaps out there and BTW welcome to B&B.
 
I think a wiki entry listing vegan etc stuff would be appropriate. I don't think it needs a subforum yet.
This seems like a nice compromise. Similar to the annoyance I feel when I have to go to both the organic food section in the grocery store and the regular section in order to compare products, I would be annoyed if I had to go to two different sections of the forum to compare two soaps. A separate section is great for those who only buy one type of product, but for those of us who are interested in comparing all products a separate section would ultimately mean more hassle.
 
I've done my research too, and come to the conclusion that there is nothing in any of soaps, creams, unguents or balms to worry about. And that's not my conclusion, it's the scientific one.

BUT, If you want to put together a vegan list to throw in the wiki, that's something else. let me know when you write it up.
 
They don't bother me very much. I think most of the controversy surrounding the harm in these is overhyped and the amount of those products needed to cause harm would need to be exponentially higher than the amounts found in cosmetic products.
 
I've done my research too, and come to the conclusion that there is nothing in any of soaps, creams, unguents or balms to worry about. And that's not my conclusion, it's the scientific one.

Backing this up with appropriate links and or the scientific research that led you to believe this would be very much appreciated. I do appreciate your comment, and would love to know more. I can't be the only one with this concern, so posting your findings here would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't worry about the "unpronouncables", particularly in products that are so prevalent that the majority of the population uses them regularly without ill effects.

I am convinced that more than simply "a chemical" or even a collection of chemicals is responsible for most cancer forms.

Grandpa died at 63 of lung cancer
Grandma at 105.
They were both chain smokers... she never had any signs of cancer (though her last 5 years she was bedridden and her last 15 she was on an O2 bottle... not pleasant, but not cancer).

Obviously, there are SOME chemicals that are particularly nasty and can cause specific types of cancer through very limited exposures, but for the most part, if you take a random group of 10,000 people and can accurately assess their chemical exposures (which in itself is extremely difficult because people DON'T know what they are exposed to on a daily basis)... you will likely find very small differences in exposures between the cancer-free groups and the survivor/patient groups.
 
Backing this up with appropriate links and or the scientific research that led you to believe this would be very much appreciated. I do appreciate your comment, and would love to know more. I can't be the only one with this concern, so posting your findings here would be greatly appreciated.

Absolutely. I've posted links etc in various threads previously.

Which ingredient are you worried about, and I'll dig them up? (probably also worth my putting in the wiki too)
 
Top Bottom