NO NASTIES - WHAT THIS MEANS TO US
At Váhy, you will never find these chemicals used as ingredients in our perfumes:
INGREDIENTS |
USED FOR |
FOUND IN |
ASSOCIATED WITH |
|
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) |
Surfactant |
Shampoos, bath products, hair colour, makeup, deodorants, perfumes and shaving preparations |
Carcinogens, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, skin irritation and endocrine disruption |
|
Animal by-products |
Certain fragrance notes |
Perfume |
Cruelty to our furry friends |
|
Benzalkonium Chloride |
Disinfectant and preservative |
Sunscreens and moisturisers |
Skin, eye and respiratory irritation and allergies |
|
Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-2 |
Preventing UV light from damaging scents and colours |
Perfumes, soaps, lip balm, shampoo, moisturisers |
Hormone disruption, irritation and carcinogens |
| Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) | Preservative | Perfume, lipsticks, deodorants, makeup | Hormone disruption, irritation and carcinogens |
| Butoxyethanol | Surfactant | Perfume, hair products, nail products | Irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogen and hormone disruption |
| Coal Tar | Colourant | Hair dye, shampoo, lotions | Carcinogens |
| Denatured Alcohol (Alcohol Denat) | Alcohol with one or more toxic chemicals added to it to make it unfit for consumption | The main ingredient in most perfumes | Irritation, skin toxicity, hormone disruption, neurotoxicity |
| Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) | Binding agent for product stability | Hair colour, moisturisers. | Enhances penetration into the skin so other chemicals may enter your system |
| Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA) | Surfactants and pH adjuster | Perfumes, hair dyes, makeup, sunscreens, paint, pharmaceuticals | Irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogen and hormone disruption |
| Diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea | Preservative antimicrobial | Makeup, aftershave, hair and skin products | Releasing formaldehyde, carcinogens, asthma, neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity |
| Formaldehyde | Preservative antimicrobial | Shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, hair gel | Carcinogens, asthma, neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity |
| Hydroquinone | Skin-lightening chemical | Skin cleansers, moisturisers, hair conditioners | Carcinogens, organ toxicity, and respiratory tract irritation |
| Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone | Preservative | Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion | Allergies, inhalation toxicity and possible neurotoxicity |
| Methyl Cellosolve, 2-Methoxyethanol | Solvent or for fragrance | Fragrances, creams, moisturisers, serums | Skin irritation, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity |
| Mineral Oil, Petroleum, Petrolatum | Barrier to skin | Moisturisers, cosmetics, hair products | Carcinogens, organ toxicity, irritation, allergen |
| Nitro Musks and Polycyclic Musk | Synthetic substitute for macrocylic musks | Perfume | Skin allergies, hormone disruption, developmental toxicity |
| Oxybenzone | Ultraviolet light absorber and stabiliser | Sunscreen, moisturiser | Irritation, allergies, hormone disruption |
| Parabens (methyl-, isobutyl-, propyl- and others) | Preservative antimicrobial | Beauty, hair and body care | Hormone disruption |
| Parfum or fragrance (undefined chemicals labelled as this) | Scent and represent an undisclosed mixture of various chemicals (can be up to 3,059 different compounds) | Most perfumes, cosmetics, body and hair care products | Allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, hormone disruption, carcinogens, neurotoxicity |
| Paraffins (petroleum based wax) | Binding agent and emulsifier | Moisturisers and cosmetics | Allergies, dermatitis, carcinogens |
| Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others) | Plasticizing chemicals used to make products more pliable or to make fragrances stick to skin | Most synthetic fragrance, nail polish, hairspray, plastic materials. | Hormone disrupters, developmental and reproductive toxicity, carcinogens |
| Polypropyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol | Rubbing or base alcohol | Fragrances | Neurotoxicity, respiratory distress |
| Polyethylene glycol (PEG compounds) | Thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers | Creams, sunscreen, shampoo. | Carcinogens, developmental and reproductive toxicity |
| Quaternium-15 | Preservative | Skin lotions, makeup, shampoos | Allergies, asthma, neurotoxicity |
| Resorcinol | Fragrance, colourant | Hair dye, skin care products | Hormone disrupters, irritation, organ toxicity, carcinogens |
| Retinol | Anti-aging chemical | Cosmetics, moisturisers, sunscreen | Dermatitis, developmental and reproductive toxicity |
| Silicones | Barriers to the skin which can cause dehydration | Cosmetics, moisturisers, hair products | Skin irritation |
| Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate | Preservative antimicrobial | Cosmetics, skin care products | Skin irritation, organ toxicity |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES) | Surfactants | Perfume, shampoo, body wash, bath products, deodorant | Skin irritation, allergies. Some products containing SLES contain traces of 1,4-dioxane which is a possible carcinogen |
| Synthetic colours | Change the colour but do not have any enhancing properties | Perfume, body wash, skin care | Allergies |
| Synthetic fragrance | Synthetic perfumes can contain any combination of 3,059 stock chemical ingredients | Perfumes | Hormone disrupters, allergies |
| Toluene (petrochemical) | Solvent | Nail polish | Developmental and reproductive toxicity |
| Triclosan and Triclocarban | Antimicrobial pesticides | Liquid soap, soap bars, toothpaste. deodorant | Hormone disrupters |
| Thimerosal (heavy metal) | Preservative | Makeup, moisturiser, toothpaste | Hormone disrupters, allergies, developmental and reproductive toxicity |
For more comprehensive details on what certain ingredients are associated with, we recommend you visit www.safecosmetics.org and www.ewg.org.