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Toxic Tub: Product Test Results

March 12th, 2009

Below are the results for all the products tested for formaldehyde and/or 1,4-dioxane for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, "No More Toxic Tub." The company that distributes the product is shown in parentheses next to the product name. ND means that the impurity was not detected (though see "Why 'No Detect' Doesn't Mean No Problem" below the chart). A blank space means that the product was not tested for the relevant contaminant.

Product Name
 1,4-dioxane (ppm)
 Formaldehyde (ppm)
Lotion

American Girl Hopes and Dreams Shimmer Body Lotion (Bath & Body Works)
 ND*
 310
Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
 ND*
 570
Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
 0.92
 610
Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
 ND*
 330
Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion Natural Calm Essences (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 ND*
Mustela Baby Body Lotion (Laboratories Expanscience)
 ND*
Tinker Bell Body Lotion (Goldie LLC)
 ND*
 220



Shampoo

CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy)
 0.92
 350
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 ND*
 200
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 1.1
 210
L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA)
 0.95
 260
Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo – Wild Watermelon (Unilever)
 0.69
 ND*



Liquid Shower Soap

American Girl Hopes and Dreams Glistening Shower and Bath Wash (Bath & Body Works)
 14
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
 6.3
 210
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
 5.7
 220
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
 18
 150
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Sunny Orange (Bath & Body Works)
 35
 ND*



Bath Wash

Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 1.4
Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 1.7
Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 4.6
CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy)
 0.75
 54
Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.)
 0.63
 290
Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
 6.4
Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company)
 2.8
 400
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark)
 3.2
 410
Johnson’s Moisture Care Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 3.9
Johnson’s Oatmeal Baby Wash – Vanilla (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
 4.2
Mustela Baby Shampoo (Laboratories Expanscience)
 2.8
Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body Newborn/Baby (Laboratories Expanscience)
 3.9
Night-time Bath Baby Wash (Target Corporation)
 3.6



Bubble Bath

Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
 0.65
 440
Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care)
 1.5
 130
Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
 2.8
 100
Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience)
 1.7
 ND*
Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company)
 2.8
 340
Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC)
 11
 420



Baby Wipes

Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wipes (Kimberly-Clark)
 ND*
Huggies Soft Skin – Shea Butter (Kimberly-Clark Global Sales Inc)
 ND*
 100
Kirkland Signature Premium Unscented Baby Wipes (Costco Wholesale Corporation)
 ND*
Pampers Baby Fresh (Procter & Gamble)
 ND*
Pampers Calming – Lavender (Procter & Gamble)
 ND*



Hair Relaxer

Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Creme Relaxer, Normal to Course Hair (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA)
 ND*
Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Children’s Relaxer System, Fine Hair Types (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA)
 ND*
 ND*
Soft & Beautiful Just for Me! No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, Children’s Super (Alberto-Culver Company)
 0.27
 ND*



Hand Soap

Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble)
 0.49
 310



Sun Block

Banana Boat Kids UVA & UVB Sunblock Lotion SPF 30 (Sun Pharmaceuticals Corp.)
 ND*
No-Ad Sun Pals SPF 45 UVA/UVB Sun Protection (Solar Cosmetics Labs Inc.)
 0.46



Toothpaste

Colgate Kids 2-in-1 Toothpaste and Mouthwash – Strawberry (Colgate-Palmolive Company)
 ND*

*ND means the chemical was not detected in the product; however, this does not mean the product is necessarily free of other potentially harmful ingredients. Many of these products contain numerous other chemicals with health concerns.

Why “No Detect” Doesn’t Mean No Problem

Some products tested for this report did not contain formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane. However, that does not mean the products are safe. There is no guarantee that other samples of the same product are not contaminated. Also, there are no legal requirements for children’s products to be made with the safest ingredients possible. As a result, it is common to find chemicals of concern in brands marketed to children.

Here is an example of a product that did not contain formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane, yet contains other harmful ingredients:

Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Creme Relaxer for Fine Hair (by SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA):

  • Contains at least 55 different ingredients.
  • 98% of those ingredients have no or inadequate safety data.
  • Contains ingredients that are associated with health conditions, including:
    • Methylparaben: On the European Union’s Banned and Restricted List and recognized as having links to cancer, neurotoxicity and skin irritation.
    • Fragrance: Ingredients not required to be listed on product, but can contain harmful chemicals.
    • Triethanolamine: Strong evidence of skin, immune and respiratory toxicity.