Best Eco-Friendly & Refillable Washing Up Liquid

Are there toxic chemicals in washing up liquid?

Formulas have changed a lot these days and even big brands have removed certain ingredients from their products over time due to consumer demand for more ecologically minded products. There are many blogs and articles referencing all the toxic chemicals in washing up liquids. However, in the name of being fair we break some of these commonly referenced ingredients down below and to see what mainstream brands are still using:

PETROLEUM BY-PRODUCTS

Petroleum-derived ingredients often come from crude oil which is a non-renewable resource. They are commonly used as they are cheap and easy to obtain. Common ingredients with petroleum include mineral oils, parabens, ingredients with ''ethyl'' or "propyl" or "PEG", "DEA" MEA", "butyl", laureth family (SLS), synthetic fragrances and more.

Though some petroleum by-products are considered safe to use in their own right , they have the potential to be contaminated with impurities such as 1,4-dioxane, a substance known to potentially contribute to some cancers. Environmental Working Group (EWG) research found that an alarming 22 percent of all cosmetics may contain unsafe levels of 1,4-dioxane. They state "Our analyses show that 80 percent of all products may be contaminated with one or more of the two dozen recognized cosmetic impurities that are linked to cancer and other health concerns. These trace contaminants in petroleum-based ingredients often readily penetrate the skin according to government and industry studies, and their presence in products is not restricted by government safety standards — they are legal at any level."

TRICLOSAN

Triclosan which can be used in antibacterial soaps and dishwashing liquid, is considered to be hazardous to health and a known endocrin disruptor. The US (FDA) banned its usage in liquid hand soaps in 2017, however the ESCCS say "The use of triclosan at a maximum concentration of 0.3% in toothpastes, hand soaps, body soaps/shower gels and deodorant sticks is considered safe" but The Envrionmental Working Group's Skin Deep database rates it as a high hazard rating of 7/10.

Parent companies Colgate-Palmolive, P&G (Fairy) and Procter & Gamble (Arial) have now phased out its use in all of their products mainly due to consumer demand (or lack-thereof) for products that contained them. So it shows that people really do make a difference with their purchasing power. However, Proctor & Gamble are one of the top 10 global plastic polluters in the world, so we'd call a boycott on them for this reason alone.

PHOSPHATES

Phosphates are used to soften hard water and make detergents more efficient, but released into water they can lead to freshwater algae blooms that release toxins and deplete oxygen in waterways. Consumer automatic dishwasher detergents (CADDs) have previously contributed about 9% of the total phosphorus loading to the freshwater environment. The good news is they are no longer present in most major detergent brands with companies phasing them out in recent years due to EU-wide restrictions in regulations.

FORMALDEHYDE

Formaldehyde is a preservative that is known to be toxic for humans, a known carcinogen and causes irritation of the eye and skin. Also listed as methanol, methyl aldehyde and methylene oxide. Brands tend to avoid this now and use non-formaldehyde preservatives.

PHTHALATES

Phthalates are a family of chemicals that are used in packaging materials, and also sometimes as a solvent to mix fragrance ingredients (Diethyl phthalate (DEP). However, these too are being phased out by big brands such as Proctor and Gamble who are no longer including them in new products including perfume materials.

To further illustrate ingredients in mainstream washing up brands we took the most well-known washing up liquid as an example, Fairy, who hardly list any ingredients on the bottle, however we managed to find this list on a P&G blog post (parent brand of Fairy) called Take a look at Fairy's ingredients: